Increasing ATOH1 life to drive sensorineural hair cell differentiation

ABSTRACT

The present disclosure provides compositions and methods for treating subjects at risk for or with sensorineural hearing loss by modulating the rate of Atoh1 protein degradation to increase levels of Atoh1 protein.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/502,113, filed Feb. 6, 2017, which is a 371 U.S. National of PCT Application No. PCT/US2015/043976, filed on Aug. 6, 2015, which claims priority to U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 62/034,040, filed on Aug. 6, 2014; and U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 62/034,459, filed on Aug. 7, 2014, the entire contents of which applications are incorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates to the generation of sensorineural hair cells, and more particularly to the use of modulation of Atoh1 expression to generate sensorineural hair cells.

BACKGROUND

There are six distinct sensory organs in the mammalian inner ear: the three cristae of the semicircular canals, the two maculae of the saccule and utricle, and the organ of Corti of the cochlea. The organ of Corti is the organ of hearing. The receptor cell for hearing is the hair cell of the cochlea (referred to herein as a hair cell, a sensory hair cell, or a sensorineural hair cell). Hair cells are limited in number and do not regenerate in mammals; damage or death of these cells leads to hearing loss (Edge and Chen, Curr. Opin. Neurobiol., 18:377-382 (2008)). Therapeutic compositions and methods to increase sensorineural hair cell number and/or function in the cochlea are required to address hearing loss.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure provides compositions and methods for generating hair cells by modulating expression of Atoh1 by inhibiting proteasome degradation of the Atoh1 protein. The data presented herein shows a role of the ubiquitin proteasome pathway in post-translational regulation of Atoh1, identifies several amino acids in the N terminus as important in determining lifespan of the Atoh1 protein, and identifies the HECT, UBA and WWE domain containing 1 (Huwe1) protein as an E3 ubiquitin ligase for Atoh1.

Thus, in a first aspect the invention provides methods for treating a disorder, e.g., sensorineural hearing loss or vestibular dysfunction, associated with loss of auditory hair cells in a subject. The methods include administering a therapeutically effective amount of proteasome inhibitor to the subject, e.g., to the inner ear of the subject. Also provided herein is the use of a proteasome inhibitor for the treatment of sensorineural hearing loss associated with loss of auditory hair cells in a subject.

In some embodiments, the proteasome inhibitor is selected from the group consisting of Bortezomib, Carfilzomib, NPI-0052, MLN9708, CEP-18770, and ONX0912.

In some embodiments, the methods include comprising administering an HDAC inhibitor, an EZH2/HMT inhibitor, or a DNMT inhibitor, in combination with a proteasome inhibitor, to the subject, e.g., to the inner ear of the subject.

Also provided herein is the use of one or more of an HDAC inhibitor, an EZH2/HMT inhibitor, or a DNMT inhibitor, in combination with a proteasome inhibitor, for the treatment of sensorineural hearing loss associated with loss of auditory hair cells in a subject.

In some embodiments, the HDAC inhibitor is selected from the group consisting of: Sodium Butyrate, Trichostatin A, hydroxamic acids, cyclic tetrapeptides, trapoxin B, depsipeptides, benzamides, electrophilic ketones, aliphatic acid compounds, phenylbutyrate, valproic acid, hydroxamic acids, vorinostat (SAHA), belinostat (PXD101), LAQ824, panobinostat (LBH589), entinostat (MS275), romidepsin, C1994, and mocetinostat (MGCD0103). In some embodiments, the EZH2/HMT inhibitor is selected from the group consisting of Deazaneplanocin A; GSK J1; GSK126; EPZ005687; E7438; EI1 (Qi et al., 2012, supra); EPZ-6438; GSK343; BIX-01294, UNC0638, BRD4770, EPZ004777, AZ505 and PDB 4e47, and those described in Garapaty-Rao et al., Chem. Biol. 20(11):1329-1339 (2013); 20130303555; and WO2012/005805; see, e.g., Wagner and Jung, Nature Biotechnology 30:622-623 (2012). In some embodiments, the DNMT inhibitor is selected from the group consisting of azacytidine, decitabine, Zebularine (1-(β-D-ribofuranosyl)-1,2-dihydropyrimidin-2-one), procainamide, procaine, (−)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate, MG98, hydralazine, RG108, and Chlorogenic acid. In some embodiments, the proteasome inhibitor is selected from the group consisting of Bortezomib, Carfilzomib, NPI-0052, MLN9708, CEP-18770, and ONX0912.

In some embodiments, the methods uses include application of the HDAC inhibitor, DNMT inhibitor, the EZH2/HMT inhibitor, or the proteasome inhibitor, to the round window membrane, e.g., intra-tympanic injection, intra-labyrinthine delivery, or direct delivery into the inner ear fluids, e.g., using a microfluidic device or infusion pump.

In another aspect, the invention provides long-lived human Atoh1 variant polypeptides comprising mutations at amino acids 328, 331, and/or 334.

In some embodiments, the long-lived human Atoh1 variant polypeptide is at least 80% identical to SEQ ID NO:1.

In some embodiments, the long-lived human Atoh1 variant polypeptide comprises SEQ ID NO:1 with a mutation selected from the group consisting of S328A, S331A, S334A, S328A/S331A, S328A/S331A, S331A/S334A, and S328A/S331A/S334A.

In some embodiments, the long-lived human Atoh1 variant polypeptide comprises SEQ ID NO:1 with a mutation at 5334, e.g., S334A.

In another aspect, the invention provides nucleic acids encoding the long-lived human Atoh1 variant polypeptides described herein, and expression vectors comprising the nucleic acids; in some embodiments, the nucleic acid encoding the long-lived human Atoh1 variant polypeptide is operably linked with an inducible promoter or a tissue specific promoter, e.g., a Lgr5, GFAP, Sox2, p27Kip, FGFR3, Prox1, or Sox2 promoter. Also provided are cells and transgenic animals harboring the nucleic acids and optionally expressing the long-lived human Atoh1 variant polypeptide comprises.

In a further aspect, the invention provides methods for treating a subject suffering from a disorder, e.g., sensorineural hearing loss or vestibular dysfunction, associated with loss of auditory hair cells. The methods include administering a therapeutically effective amount of a nucleic acid encoding a long-lived human Atoh1 variant polypeptide described herein to the subject, e.g., to the inner ear of the subject.

In yet another aspect, the invention features methods for treating a subject suffering from a disorder, e.g., sensorineural hearing loss or vestibular dysfunction, associated with loss of auditory hair cells. The methods include administering a therapeutically effective amount of an inhibitory nucleic acid targeting Huwe1 to the subject, e.g., to the inner ear of the subject. In some embodiments, the inhibitory nucleic acid is selected from the group consisting of antisense oligonucleotides; small interfering RNA (siRNA); and short, hairpin RNA (shRNA).

Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. Methods and materials are described herein for use in the present invention; other, suitable methods and materials known in the art can also be used. The materials, methods, and examples are illustrative only and not intended to be limiting. All publications, patent applications, patents, sequences, database entries, and other references mentioned herein are incorporated by reference in their entirety. In case of conflict, the present specification, including definitions, will control.

Other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description and figures, and from the claims.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1A-B. Atoh1 is a short-lived protein. (A) FLAG-HA-Atoh1 293T cells were treated with cycloheximide (100 ug/ml) and harvested at the indicated times. Lysates were processed for Western blotting with FLAG antibody (Atoh1) or β-actin antibody (loading control). Labels indicate the time of chase. (B) Protein half-lives based on densitometry. The ratio of Atoh1 to β-actin was plotted after normalizing to the initial ratio set to 100. Error bars indicate SEM.

FIGS. 2A-E. Atoh1 is degraded by the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway. (A) Proteasome inhibitor stabilized Atoh1 expression in HEK cell. HEK cells were transfected with FLAG-Atoh1 plasmid (1 ug/ml) for 24 hours, and incubated with either DMSO or MG132 (10 uM) for 3 hours and immunoprecipitated using FLAG (Atoh1) or beta-actin (loading control) antibodies. (B) FLAG-HA-Atoh1 293T cells were treated with cycloheximide (100 ug/ml) and MG132 (10 uM) at the indicated times and immunoprecipitated with FLAG (Atoh1) or beta-actin (loading control) antibodies. Time of treatment is indicated. (C) Half-lives based on densitometry from 3 experiments are shown. The ratio of Atoh1 to β-actin was plotted after normalization. Error bars indicate SEM. (D) & (E). Atoh1 is polyubiquitylated and degraded by the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway. FLAG-HA-Atoh1 293T cells were treated with either DMSO or MG132 (10 uM) for 6 hours. Lysates were immunoprecipitated with anti-FLAG antibody and subjected to immunoblotting with a ubiquitin antibody. FLAG was used to assess immunoprecipitation. MG132 treatment increased the density of the poly-ubiquitin chains of Atoh1, and increased the level of protein as seen both by reprobing the blot and assessing the input protein (E). β-actin is a loading control.

FIG. 3. Atoh1 forms K48 linked polyubiquitin chain. 293T cells were co-transfected with FLAG-Atoh1 and either wild-type HA-ubiquitin (WT) or ubiquitin with all lysines except K48 mutated, or empty vector. FLAG-Atoh1 was immuoprecipitated and blotted with antibodies against HA (ubiquitin) and FLAG (Atoh1). FLAG antibody was used to confirm the immunoprecipitation of Atoh1.

FIGS. 4A-B. Evolutionarily conserved serines in the C-terminus of Atoh1 account for its stability. (A) Half-life analysis of truncated Atoh1 over a 4-hour time frame. HEK cells were transfected with either wild-type or truncated FLAG-Atoh1 for 48 hours, and incubated with cycloheximide (100 ug/ml) for the indicated times. β-actin served as a loading control for input protein. (B) Quantification of protein half-lives. Error bars indicate the ratio of Atoh1 to β-actin.

FIGS. 5A-C. S334 is a critical residue for Atoh1 degradation. (A) C-terminus of Atoh1 (area 4) of different species were aligned. Conserved serines at 325, 328, 331 and 334 are marked with asterisks. (B) HEK cells were transfected with wild-type or mutated FLAG-Atoh1 plasmids for 40 hours and treated with either vehicle (DMSO) or MG132. After treatment with inhibitor for 6 hours, S334A had the smallest increase in Atoh1 (vehicle treatment is marked with a minus sign), while wild-type or other mutated Atoh1 proteins showed large increases in Atoh1. (C) Half-life analysis of mutated Atoh1 proteins over a 4-hour time frame. HEK cells were transfected with either wild-type or mutated FLAG-Atoh1 plasmids for 48 hours, and incubated with cycloheximide (100 ug/ml) for the indicated times. The ratio of Atoh1 to β-actin based on densitometry was plotted.

FIGS. 6A-C. Reciprocal immunoprecipitation confirmed interaction of endogenous Huwe1 with Atoh1. (A) Coomassie blue staining of Atoh1-associated proteins. FLAG-HA tagged Atoh1 was purified from whole cell extracts of a stably transfected 293T cell line. Associated proteins were detected by silver staining. The areas indicated by the arrows were cut out for mass spectrometry (Table II) and Western blotting. (B) FLAG-HA-Atoh1 293T lysates were immunoprecipitated with the indicated antibodies (IgG and HA) and subjected to immunoblotting with an antibody to Huwe1. The blot was stained with an HA antibody to measure the efficiency of immunoprecipitation. (C) Endogenous Huwe1 interacts with Atoh1. FLAG-HA-Atoh1 293T cell lysates were subjected to immunoprecipitation using IgG or Huwe1 antibody, followed by immunoblotting by HA antibodies to show the interaction with Atoh1 protein. Stripping and re-blotting with Huwe1 antibody was used to detect the efficiency of immunoprecipitation.

FIGS. 7A-B. Ubiquitylation of Atoh1 by Huwe1 occurs at K48. (A) FLAG-HA-Atoh1 cells were transfected with empty vector, Huwe1, or Huwe1 shRNA for 72 hours, and lysates were immunoprecipitated with antibodies against FLAG; lysates treated with MG132 for 4 hours before harvest serve as a positive control. An anti-ubiquitin antibody was used to detect ubiquitin conjugates; blots were stripped and re-blotted with FLAG and Huwe1 antibodies. The lowest panel shows total extracts immunoblotted with an anti-FLAG antibody to detect FLAG-tagged Atoh1. (B) 293T cells co-transfected with empty vector or Huwe1 and wild-type HA-ubiquitin (WT) or mutant lysine 48 (K48) plasmids for 72 hours were lysed and subjected to immunoprecipitation with an anti-FLAG antibody. Ubiquitin conjugates were detected with an anti-HA antibody. The lower panel shows blots stripped and re-blotted with an anti-FLAG antibody.

FIGS. 8A-B. Cysteine at position 4341 of Huwe1 is critical for ubiquitin transfer to Atoh1. (A) Wild-type, but not C4341A-mutant Huwe1, promotes polyubiquitylation of Atoh1. HeLa cells were co-transfected with FLAG-Atoh1, HA-ubiquitin (WT) or mutant lysine 48 only (K48), and Myc-Huwe1 WT or C4341A plasmids. FLAG-Atoh1 was immunoprecipitated under denaturing conditions using anti-FLAG antibody, and polyubiquitylation of Atoh1 and total Atoh1 level were detected by Western blotting with anti-HA and anti-FLAG antibodies. Exogenous Huwe1 level was determined with an anti-Myc antibody. The lysates were immunoprecipitated with IgG as a control. (B) Five percent of total extracts from the experiment shown in A were analyzed by Western blot with an anti-Myc antibody to detect exogenous Huwe1 and an anti-FLAG antibody; anti-β-actin was used as a loading control.

FIGS. 9A-D. Huwe1 plasmid increased and Huwe1 siRNA inhibited degradation of Atoh1. (A) FLAG-HA-Atoh1 293T cells were transfected with Huwe1 for 48 hours. Quantification of Atoh1, Huwe1 and a loading control (HSC70) were performed by Western blotting and densitometry. (B) FLAG-HA-Atoh1 293T cells were transfected with Huwe1 shRNA for 72 hours. (C) & (D). The half-life of Atoh1 was increased by Huwe1 knockdown. FLAG-HA-Atoh1 293T cells were transfected with either control or Huwe1 shRNA for 72 hours, and treated with cycloheximide (CHX) for the indicated times. Atoh1 (FLAG) and Huwe1 were analyzed by Western blotting and densitometry normalized to loading controls in three experiments. The ratio of Atoh1 to β-actin was plotted. Error bars indicate SEM.

FIG. 10. Inhibition of proteasome activity stabilizes Atoh1 in the cochlea. The organ of Corti from a P1 mouse was treated with proteasome inhibitor, MG132 (10 uM) for 3 hours. Atoh1 levels were higher in the MG132-treated organ of Corti. DMSO served as control; β-actin is a loading control.

FIG. 11. qRT-PCR of RNAi-treated organ of Corti. P1 organ of Corti was treated with indicated siRNA (100 nM) for 72 hours. Huwe1 siRNA suppressed Huwe1 expression by 59.5%, compared to scrambled siRNA. Error bars indicate SEM.

FIG. 12. Huwe1 knockdown stabilizes Atoh1. P1 organs of Corti were treated with the indicated siRNA (100 nM) for 72 hours. Huwe1, myosin VIIa and Atoh1 were quantified after Western blotting by densitometry normalized to a loading control (HSC70).

FIGS. 13A-C. Huwe1 knockdown increases hair cell generation in organ of Corti explants. (A) & (B). Organs of Corti treated with Huwe1 siRNA (100 nM) for 72 hours have increased numbers of hair cells in the apex (0-25%), mid-apex (25-50%), mid-base (50-75%), and base (75-100%). (C) Outer hair cell counts in the apex, mid-apex, mid-base, and base or the whole cochlea (mean±SEM per 100 mm; *p<0.05, **p<0.01 ***p<0.001, n=7 for both groups).

FIGS. 14A-B. Increased number of hair cells is not from proliferation. (A) Myosin VIIa-positive cells are seen throughout the organ of Corti explants. (B) Organ of Corti explants treated with Huwe1 siRNA for 72 hours showed an increase in myosin VIIa-positive cells, without any positive EdU-positive cells. Sox2 was used to stain supporting cells. The scale bar is 100 uM.

FIG. 15. Generation of a FLAG-HA-Atoh1 stably expressing cell line. A construct containing the transgene was incorporated into a lentiviral vector. After recombination of the FLAG-HA-Atoh1 construct to place the transgene under the promoter, FLAG-HA-Atoh1 along with the packaging plasmids were transfected into 293T cells. Lentivirus particles expressing FLAG-HA-Atoh1 were harvested and infected into 293T cells again. Cells expressing the transgene were selected by growth in medium containing puromycin.

FIGS. 16A-F. An extra row of inner hair cells in Huwe1 conditional knockout mice (A) E18.5 organ of Corti from conditional knockout of Huwe1 at E15.5. Additional inner hair cells can be seen throughout the cochlea after knockout of Huwe1 in Sox2-positive supporting cells at E15.5. Myosin VIIa labels hair cells and Sox2 labels supporting cells; DAPI is a nuclear marker. The white line marks the location of the orthogonal view shown beneath the surface view, and yellow and white brackets indicate inner and outer hair cells, respectively. Arrows point to extra inner hair cells. The scale bar is 25 μm. (B) E18.5 organ of Corti from Sox2-Cre control mice showing a single row of inner hair cells. (C), (D) Z-(left) and X-(right) projection confocal images of the inner hair cell region in the P30 organ of Corti from a Huwe1 conditional knockout (C) or control (D) ear. Deletion of Huwe1 was performed at P2. The cochleas were immunostained with antibodies against myosin VIIa, CtBP2 and GluR2. Arrows indicate extra inner hair cells. (E), (F) Thresholds recorded at P30 from Huwe1 conditional knockout (n=3) and control (n=5) ears for DPOAE (E) and ABR (F). Error bars indicate SEM.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present disclosure is based, at least in part, on the surprising discovery that inhibition of protein degradation increases levels of Atoh1 protein, which is expected to increase generation of hair cells from inner ear progenitor cells. As shown herein reducing proteasome activity led to an increase in levels of Atoh1 protein. As increased Atoh1 leads to an increase in generation of hair cells, these methods are expected to increase generation of hair cells from progenitors.

It is widely accepted that although cells capable of generating hair cells are present in the inner ear, natural hair cell regeneration in the inner ear is low (Li et al., Trends Mol. Med., 10, 309-315 (2004); Li et al., Nat. Med., 9, 1293-1299 (2003); Rask-Andersen et al., Hear. Res., 203, 180-191 (2005)). As a result, lost or damaged hair cells may not be adequately replaced by natural physiological processes (e.g., cell differentiation), and a loss of hair cells occurs. In many individuals, such hair cell loss can result in, e.g., sensorineural hearing loss, hearing impairment, and balance disorders. Therapeutic strategies that increase the number of hair cells in the inner ear will benefit a subject with hair cell loss, e.g., with one or more of these conditions.

In some embodiments, the present disclosure provides compositions and methods for preventing and/or treating auditory disease in a subject by increasing the number of sensory hair cells of the inner ear (e.g., hair cells), e.g., in the inner ear of the subject, by administering to the subject (e.g., to the inner ear of the subject) compositions that decrease protein degradation, e.g., Atoh1 degradation, in target cells.

Atoh1 is important for specifying hair cell fate and its expression is tightly regulated (Kelly et al., Nat. Rev. Neurosci., 7:837-849 (2006)). Once activated, Atoh1 interacts with its 3′ enhancer in a positive feedback loop to maintain expression (Helms et al., Development, 127: 1185-1196 (2000)). Despite the reported importance of Atoh1 for hair cell differentiation (Bermingham et al., Science, 284:1837-1841 (1999); Zheng and Gao, Nat. Neurosci., 3:580-586 (2000); Izumikawa et al., Nat. Med., 11:271-276 (2005); Kelly et al., Nat. Rev. Neurosci., 7:837-849 (2006); Gubbels et al., Nature, 455:537-541 (2008); Jeon et al., J. Neurosci., 31:8351-8358 (2011)), pathways and factors involved in its regulation are reportedly poorly understood (Fritzsch et al., Dev. Dyn., 233:570-583 (2005)).

As described herein, targeted modulation of protein degradation can be used to regulate Atoh1 and promote hair cell differentiation.

Post-Translational Regulation—the Ubiquitin-Proteasome Pathway

Post-translational modification is the chemical modification of a protein after its translation, which can include phosphorylation, acetylation, sumoylation, and ubiquitylation.

The ubiquitin-proteasome pathway plays an important role in biological processes integral to the development and physiology of eukaryotic cells. Specific proteins are labeled by polyubiquitin chains in an energy-consuming process and then targeted to the proteasome where they are degraded to small peptides. The system is highly selective and precisely regulated; it not only degrades misfolded or damaged proteins but also is essential for regulation of cell-signaling pathways, determining the half-lives ranging from minutes to days.

Ubiquitin, a 76 amino acid protein with a molecular weight of 8.5 kD, is involved in several biological processes. Isopeptide linkages to its 7 lysine residues generate a diverse set of monubiquitin or polyubiquitin chains. While K48-linked polyubiquitin chains signal for proteasomal degradation, monoubiquitylation is a signal for endocytosis or nuclear trafficking. K63-linked polyubiquitin chains signal endocytosis, ribosome modification and DNA repair (Pickart, Molecular cell. Sep. 1, 2001; 8(3):499-504).

The ubiquitin system consists of three critical enzymes: ubiquitin-activating enzyme (E1), ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme (E2), and ubiquitin ligase (E3). E3 catalyzes the formation of polyubiquitin chains (and occasional monoubiquitin chains) by transferring ubiquitins that have been activated by E1 and E2 to internal lysine residues on specific substrates.

E3 ligases are classified by the occurrence of HECT (homologous to the E6-AP COOH terminus) or RING (Really Interesting New Gene) domains. The human genome encodes over 600 E3 ligases, most belonging to the RING family (Deshaies and Joazeiro, Annual review of biochemistry. 2009; 78:399-434). HECT domain ligases form a transient and covalent linkage with ubiquitin via a conserved cysteine, while RING domain ligases transfer ubiquitin from E2 to the substrate, without direct ubiquitylation.

RING domain E3 ligases can be further classified into single subunit, dimeric RING finger (RF), and modular classes. Modular RING E3 ligases function as part of a multi-protein complex and substrate proteins are recruited by separate subunits. Examples of modular E3 ligases include the cullin-RING ligase (CRL) superfamily, comprised of Cul1, 2, 3, 4A, 4B, 5 and 7 (Jin et al., Genes Dev. 2004; 18(21):2573-2580). Cullin serves as a scaffold for assembly of the multiple subunits and transfer of ubiquitin from E2 to the substrate protein. The C-terminus of cullin binds the ring-finger protein (RING box, Rbx1) to form the core E3 ubiquitin ligase, while the N-terminus binds the adaptor module protein to mediate the interaction between cullin and its specific substrate. Cul4A E3 ubiquitin ligases contain the cullin 4A scaffold and the DDB1 (damaged DNA binding protein 1) adaptor protein. Substrate specificity is conferred by a set of substrate receptors, DDB1-and-CUL4A-associated factors (DCAF).

Although various pathways have been shown to upregulate Atoh1 expression at the transcriptional level (Jeon et al., The Journal of neuroscience: the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience. 2011; 31(23):8351-8358; Shi et al., Journal of biological chemistry. 2010; 285(1):392-400; Examples 1-10, below), post-transcriptional regulation of Atoh1 is largely unexplored. The present inventors hypothesized that inhibition of post-translational degradation could increase the level of Atoh1 protein and force progenitors toward a hair cell fate. There was a seemingly contradictory role of Sox2 in regulation of Atoh1, as Sox2 increased expression of Atoh1 mRNA but did not increase the level of Atoh1 protein. Example 11 herein shows a role of the ubiquitin proteasome pathway in the post-translational regulation of Atoh1.

Long-Lived Atoh1 Proteins

In one aspect, the invention provides long-lived Atoh1 variant polypeptides comprising one or more mutations at amino acids 328, 331, and/or 334, i.e., mutations at amino acids 328, 331, and/or 334 to any amino acid other than serine, e.g., alanine, asparagine, glutamine, threonine, tyrosine, or cysteine, preferably alanine or glycine, wherein the variant is resistant to proteasome degradation and thus has a longer half life. Also provided are isolated nucleic acid molecules that encode a long-lived Atoh1 variant polypeptide as described herein.

The sequence of human Atoh1, also known as ATH1; HATH1; MATH-1; and bHLHa14, is available in GenBank at Acc. No. NM 005172.1 (mRNA) and NP_005163.1 (protein). SEQ ID NO:1 shows the long-lived Atoh1 variant human protein sequence with the mutation sites at amino acids 328, 331 and/or 334 shown as “X.”

(SEQ ID NO: 1)   1 msrllhaeew aevkelgdhh rqpqphhlpq pppppqppat lqarehpvyp pelslldstd  61 prawlaptlq gictaraaqy llhspelgas eaaaprdevd grgelvrrss ggassskspg 121 pvkvreqlck lkggvvvdel gcsrqrapss kqvngvqkqr rlaanarerr rmhglnhafd 181 qlrnvipsfn ndkklskyet lqmaqiyina lsellqtpsg geqpppppas cksdhhhlrt 241 aasyeggagn ataagaqqas ggsqrptppg scrtrfsapa saggysvqld alhfstfeds 301 altammaqkn lspslpgsil qpvqeenXkt XprXhrsdge fsphshysds deas In one embodiment, the protein includes an amino acid sequence at least about 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 98% or more identical to SEQ ID NO:1, wherein one or more of amino acids 328, 331 and/or 334 are not serine. For use in the methods described herein, the protein must retain the ability to promote differentiation of a supporting cell into an auditory hair cell.

In some embodiments, an isolated nucleic acid molecule of the invention includes a nucleotide sequence encoding a variant Atoh1 human protein shown in SEQ ID NO:1, wherein one or more of amino acids 328, 331 and/or 334 are not serine, i.e., are alanine, glycine, or another amino acid. In some embodiments, the nucleic acid molecule includes sequences encoding the variant Atoh1 human protein (i.e., “the coding region” or “open reading frame”), as well as 5′ untranslated sequences. Alternatively, the nucleic acid molecule can include only a coding region and, e.g., no flanking sequences that normally accompany the subject sequence. The protein includes one of the following mutations: S328A, S331A, S334A, S328A/S331A, S328A/S331A, S331A/S334A, or S328A/S331A/S334A. An exemplary nucleic acid sequence is shown in SEQ ID NO:2, with the codons encoding amino acids 328, 331 and 334 shown as NNN.

   1 ATGTCCCGCC TGCTGCATGC AGAAGAGTGG GCTGAAGTGA AGGAGTTGGG AGACCACCAT   61 CGCCAGCCCC AGCCGCATCA TCTCCCGCAA CCGCCGCCGC CGCCGCAGCC ACCTGCAACT  121 TTGCAGGCGA GAGAGCATCC CGTCTACCCG CCTGAGCTGT CCCTCCTGGA CAGCACCGAC  181 CCACGCGCCT GGCTGGCTCC CACTTTGCAG GGCATCTGCA CGGCACGCGC CGCCCAGTAT  241 TTGCTACATT CCCCGGAGCT GGGTGCCTCA GAGGCCGCTG CGCCCCGGGA CGAGGTGGAC  301 GGCCGGGGGG AGCTGGTAAG GAGGAGCAGC GGCGGTGCCA GCAGCAGCAA GAGCCCCGGG  361 CCGGTGAAAG TGCGGGAACA GCTGTGCAAG CTGAAAGGCG GGGTGGTGGT AGACGAGCTG  421 GGCTGCAGCC GCCAACGGGC CCCTTCCAGC AAACAGGTGA ATGGGGTGCA GAAGCAGAGA  481 CGGCTAGCAG CCAACGCCAG GGAGCGGCGC AGGATGCATG GGCTGAACCA CGCCTTCGAC  541 CAGCTGCGCA ATGTTATCCC GTCGTTCAAC AACGACAAGA AGCTGTCCAA ATATGAGACC  601 CTGCAGATGG CCCAAATCTA CATCAACGCC TTGTCCGAGC TGCTACAAAC GCCCAGCGGA  661 GGGGAACAGC CACCGCCGCC TCCAGCCTCC TGCAAAAGCG ACCACCACCA CCTTCGCACC  721 GCGGCCTCCT ATGAAGGGGG CGCGGGCAAC GCGACCGCAG CTGGGGCTCA GCAGGCTTCC  781 GGAGGGAGCC AGCGGCCGAC CCCGCCCGGG AGTTGCCGGA CTCGCTTCTC AGCCCCAGCT  841 TCTGCGGGAG GGTACTCGGT GCAGCTGGAC GCTCTGCACT TCTCGACTTT CGAGGACAGC  901 GCCCTGACAG CGATGATGGC GCAAAAGAAT TTGTCTCCTT CTCTCCCCGG GAGCATCTTG  961 CAGCCAGTGC AGGAGGAAAA C NNN AAAACT  NNN CCTCGG N   NN CACAGAAG CGACGGGGAA 1021 TTTTCCCCCC ATTCCCATTA CAGTGACTCG GATGAGGCAA GTTAG

In some embodiments, an isolated nucleic acid molecule encoding a variant Atoh1 human protein described herein includes a nucleotide sequence that is at least about 85% or more identical to the entire length of a nucleotide sequence shown in SEQ ID NO:2. In some embodiments, the nucleotide sequence is at least about 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, 99% or 100% identical to SEQ ID NO:2. The encoded protein includes at least one of the following mutations: S328A, S331A, S334A, S328A/S331A, S328A/S331A, S331A/S334A, or S328A/S331A/S334A.

Calculations of homology between sequences are performed as follows. To determine the percent identity of two amino acid sequences, or of two nucleic acid sequences, the sequences are aligned for optimal comparison purposes (e.g., gaps can be introduced in one or both of a first and a second amino acid or nucleic acid sequence for optimal alignment and non-homologous sequences can be disregarded for comparison purposes). The length of a reference sequence aligned for comparison purposes is at least 80% of the length of the reference sequence, and in some embodiments is at least 90% or 100%. The amino acid residues or nucleotides at corresponding amino acid positions or nucleotide positions are then compared. When a position in the first sequence is occupied by the same amino acid residue or nucleotide as the corresponding position in the second sequence, then the molecules are identical at that position. The percent identity between the two sequences is a function of the number of identical positions shared by the sequences, taking into account the number of gaps, and the length of each gap, which need to be introduced for optimal alignment of the two sequences. In another embodiment, the percent identity of two amino acid sequences can be assessed as a function of the conservation of amino acid residues within the same family of amino acids (e.g., positive charge, negative charge, polar and uncharged, hydrophobic) at corresponding positions in both amino acid sequences (e.g., the presence of an alanine residue in place of a valine residue at a specific position in both sequences shows a high level of conservation, but the presence of an arginine residue in place of an aspartate residue at a specific position in both sequences shows a low level of conservation).

For purposes of the present invention, the comparison of sequences and determination of percent identity between two sequences can be accomplished using blastn with Match/Mismatch scores of 1 and −2, respectively, and a linear gap penalty. See Zhang et al., J Comput Biol 2000; 7(1-2):203-14.

Recombinant Expression Vectors, Host Cells and Genetically Engineered Cells

In another aspect, the invention includes vectors, preferably expression vectors, containing a nucleic acid encoding a long-lived Atoh1 variant polypeptide described herein. As used herein, the term “vector” refers to a nucleic acid molecule capable of transporting another nucleic acid to which it has been linked and can include a plasmid, cosmid or viral vector. The vector can be capable of autonomous replication or it can integrate into a host DNA. Viral vectors include, e.g., replication defective retroviruses, adenoviruses and adeno-associated viruses. Additional information regarding vectors is provided below.

A vector can include a long-lived Atoh1 variant-encoding nucleic acid in a form suitable for expression of the nucleic acid in a host cell. Preferably the recombinant expression vector includes one or more regulatory sequences operatively linked to the nucleic acid sequence to be expressed. The term “regulatory sequence” includes promoters, enhancers and other expression control elements (e.g., polyadenylation signals). Regulatory sequences include those which direct constitutive expression of a nucleotide sequence, as well as tissue-specific regulatory and/or inducible sequences. The design of the expression vector can depend on such factors as the choice of the host cell to be transformed, the level of expression of protein desired, and the like. The expression vectors of the invention can be introduced into host cells to thereby produce long-lived Atoh1 variants as described herein.

The recombinant expression vectors of the invention can be designed for expression of long-lived Atoh1 variant proteins in prokaryotic or eukaryotic cells. For example, polypeptides of the invention can be expressed in E. coli, insect cells (e.g., using baculovirus expression vectors), yeast cells or mammalian cells. Suitable host cells are discussed further in Goeddel, (1990) Gene Expression Technology: Methods in Enzymology 185, Academic Press, San Diego, Calif. Alternatively, the recombinant expression vector can be transcribed and translated in vitro, e.g., using T7 promoter regulatory sequences and T7 polymerase.

When used in mammalian cells, the expression vector's control functions are often provided by viral regulatory elements. For example, commonly used promoters are derived from polyoma, Adenovirus 2, cytomegalovirus and Simian Virus 40.

In another embodiment, the recombinant mammalian expression vector is capable of directing expression of the nucleic acid preferentially in a particular cell type (e.g., tissue-specific regulatory elements are used to express the nucleic acid). For example, promoters that are primarily or only active in auditory or supporting cells can be used, e.g., a Lgr5, GFAP, Sox2, p27Kip, FGFR3, Prox1, or Sox2 promoter.

Another aspect the invention provides a host cell which includes a nucleic acid molecule described herein, e.g., a long-lived Atoh1 variant-encoding nucleic acid molecule within a recombinant expression vector or a long-lived Atoh1 variant-encoding nucleic acid molecule containing sequences which allow it to homologously recombine into a specific site of the host cell's genome. The terms “host cell” and “recombinant host cell” are used interchangeably herein. Such terms refer not only to the particular subject cell but to the progeny or potential progeny of such a cell. Because certain modifications may occur in succeeding generations due to either mutation or environmental influences, such progeny may not, in fact, be identical to the parent cell, but are still included within the scope of the term as used herein.

A host cell can be any prokaryotic or eukaryotic cell. For example, a long-lived Atoh1 variant protein can be expressed in bacterial cells such as E. coli, insect cells, yeast or mammalian cells (e.g., Chinese hamster ovary cells (CHO) or COS cells). Other suitable host cells are known to those skilled in the art.

Vector DNA can be introduced into host cells via conventional transformation or transfection techniques. As used herein, the terms “transformation” and “transfection” are intended to refer to a variety of art-recognized techniques for introducing foreign nucleic acid (e.g., DNA) into a host cell, including calcium phosphate or calcium chloride co-precipitation, DEAE-dextran-mediated transfection, lipofection, or electroporation.

A host cell of the invention can be used to produce (i.e., express) a long-lived Atoh1 variant protein. Accordingly, the invention further provides methods for producing a long-lived Atoh1 variant protein using the host cells of the invention. In one embodiment, the method includes culturing the host cell of the invention (into which a recombinant expression vector encoding a long-lived Atoh1 variant protein has been introduced) in a suitable medium such that a long-lived Atoh1 variant protein is produced. In another embodiment, the method further includes isolating a long-lived Atoh1 variant protein from the medium or the host cell.

In another aspect, the invention features, a cell or purified preparation of cells which include a long-lived Atoh1 variant transgene, and that optionally express the long-lived Atoh1 variant. The cell preparation can consist of human or non-human cells, e.g., rodent cells, e.g., mouse or rat cells, rabbit cells, or pig cells. In some embodiments, the long-lived Atoh1 variant transgene is under control of an inducible promoter as is known in the art. Such cells can serve as a model for studying disorders that are related to Atoh1 expression.

In another aspect, the invention features a cell transformed with nucleic acid which encodes a long-lived Atoh1 variant polypeptide. The cell can be, e.g., a mammalian cell, e.g., a mesenchymal stem cell, human embryonic stem cell, inner ear-derived stem cell (see, e.g., Li et al., Nat Med. 9(10):1293-9 (2003)), hair cell progenitor, or induced pluripotent stem cell, or a cell derived therefrom, e.g., an endodermal/mesodermal progenitor that expresses Brachyury and GATA6, or an inner ear progenitor cell that expresses Sox2, which could be made from an ES cell or induced pluripotent stem cell derived from a blood cell or fibroblast, e.g., as described in Li et al., Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 100(23):13495-500 (2003); or Oshima et al., Cell. 141(4): 704-716 (2010); see also Breuskin et al., Hear Res. 236(1-2):1-10 (2008); Bodson et al., Acta Otolaryngol. 130(3):312-7 (2010); and Jahan et al., Hear Res. 297:30-41 (2013). Alternatively, the cell can be a more differentiated cell, e.g., a fibroblast or other non-auditory cell type.

Cells, e.g., progenitor cells, expressing a long-lived human Atoh1 variant polypeptide as described herein can be introduced into an individual subject to increase the number of hair cells and treat sensorineural hearing loss or vestibular dysfunction associated with loss of auditory hair cells in the subject. Preferably, the cells are injected into the cochlea as described herein. Once implanted in an individual, the cells produce a long-lived human Atoh1 variant polypeptide described herein and differentiate into hair cells. In some embodiments, the Atoh1 is under the control of an inducible promoter, and the cells are implanted into the subject in a progenitor state, and induced to express the long-lived Atoh1 once in situ. A number of inducible promoters are known in the art, e.g., metallothionein, heat shock protein, tetracycline or minocycline promoters. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 8,673,634 and Devarajan et al., J. Funct. Biomater. 2:249-270 (2011) for a review of gene delivery and stem cell based therapies for regenerating inner ear hair cells.

Transgenic animals expressing the long-lived human Atoh1 variant polypeptides described herein are also within the present invention. As used herein, a “transgenic animal” is a non-human animal, preferably a mammal, more preferably a rodent such as a rat or mouse, in which one or more of the cells of the animal includes a long-lived human Atoh1 variant transgene. Other examples of transgenic animals include non-human primates, sheep, dogs, cows, goats, chickens, amphibians, and the like. A long-lived human Atoh1 variant transgene is exogenous DNA encoding a long-lived human Atoh1 variant described herein that preferably is integrated into or occurs in the genome of the cells of a transgenic animal. A long-lived human Atoh1 variant transgene can direct the expression of the encoded gene product in one or more cell types or tissues of the transgenic animal, e.g., in cells of the inner ear of the animal. Thus, a transgenic animal can be one in which an endogenous Atoh1 gene has been altered by, e.g., by homologous recombination between the endogenous gene and an exogenous long-lived human Atoh1 variant-encoding DNA molecule introduced into a cell of the animal, e.g., an embryonic cell of the animal, prior to development of the animal.

Intronic sequences and polyadenylation signals can also be included in the transgene to increase the efficiency of expression of the transgene. A tissue-specific regulatory sequence, e.g. as described above, can be operably linked to a transgene of the invention to direct expression of a long-lived human Atoh1 variant protein to particular cells. A transgenic founder animal can be identified based upon the presence of a long-lived human Atoh1 variant-encoding transgene in its genome and/or expression of long-lived human Atoh1 variant mRNA in tissues or cells of the animals. A transgenic founder animal can then be used to breed additional animals carrying the transgene. Moreover, transgenic animals carrying a transgene encoding a long-lived human Atoh1 variant protein can further be bred to other transgenic animals carrying other transgenes.

Methods of Treatment

The compounds and methods described herein are appropriate for the treatment of mammalian (e.g., human) subjects who have or are at risk of developing hearing disorders resulting from cochlear hair cell loss, preferably post-neonatal (e.g., child, adolescent or adult, e.g., above the age of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 or 13 years) subjects. The methods described herein can be used to treat cochlear hair cell loss and any disorder that arises as a consequence of hair cell loss in the ear, such as hearing impairments or deafness. These subjects can receive treatment with an agent described herein. The approach may be optimal for treatment of acute hearing loss shortly after the damage has occurred, and may be less effective after longer time periods when Notch signaling has returned to its baseline level in the adult.

In some instances, methods include selecting a subject. Subjects suitable for treatment include those at risk of hair cell loss or with hair cell loss and/or those at risk of sensorineural hearing loss or with sensorineural hearing loss. Any subject experiencing or at risk for developing hearing loss is a candidate for the treatment methods described herein. A human subject having or at risk for developing a hearing loss can hear less well than the average human being, or less well than a human before experiencing the hearing loss. For example, hearing can be diminished by at least 5, 10, 30, 50% or more.

The subject can have hearing loss associated with cochlear hair cell loss for any reason, or as a result of any type of event. For example, a subject can be deaf or hard-of-hearing as a result of an infection or physical ototoxic insult, e.g., a traumatic event, such as a physical trauma to a structure of the ear that does not irreversibly damage the supporting cells. In preferred embodiments, the subject can have (or be at risk of developing) hearing loss as result of exposure to a sudden loud noise, or a prolonged exposure to loud noises. For example, prolonged or repeated exposures to concert venues, airport runways, and construction areas can cause inner ear damage and subsequent hearing loss; subjects who are subjected to high levels of environmental noise, e.g., in the home or workplace, can be treated using the methods described herein. A subject can have a hearing disorder that results from aging, e.g., presbycusis, which is generally associated with normal aging processes; see, e.g., Huang, Minn Med. 90(10):48-50 (2007) and Frisina, Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1170: 708-717 (2009), and can occur in subjects as young as 18, but is generally more marked in older subjects, e.g., subjects over age 40, 45, 50, 55, 60, 65, 70, 75, 80, 85, or 90. A subject can have tinnitus (characterized by ringing in the ears) due to loss of hair cells. A subject can experience a chemical ototoxic insult, wherein ototoxins include therapeutic drugs including antineoplastic agents, salicylates, quinines, and aminoglycoside antibiotics, e.g., as described further below, contaminants in foods or medicinals, and environmental or industrial pollutants. In general, subjects who have a known genetic disease associated with hearing loss (e.g., mutations in connexin 26, Alport, and so on), or a known cause of hearing loss that is associated with structural damage to the inner ear (e.g. penetrating trauma), that would not be correctable or ameliorated by the present methods are excluded from the present methods.

In some embodiments, the methods include administering to the subject a compound described herein within one, two, three, four, five, six, or seven days, or one, two, three, four, five, or six weeks of exposure to an ototoxic insult, e.g., a physical (noise, trauma) or chemical (ototoxin) insult that results in or could result in a loss of hair cells, and causes an increase in Notch signaling in the subject.

In some embodiments, a subject suitable for the treatment using the compounds and methods featured in the invention can include a subject having a vestibular dysfunction, including bilateral and unilateral vestibular dysfunction; the methods include administering a therapeutically effective amount of an agent described herein, e.g., by systemic administration or administration via the endolymphatic sac (ES). Vestibular dysfunction is an inner ear dysfunction characterized by symptoms that include dizziness, imbalance, vertigo, nausea, and fuzzy vision and may be accompanied by hearing problems, fatigue and changes in cognitive functioning. Vestibular dysfunctions that can be treated by the methods described herein can be the result of a genetic or congenital defect; an infection, such as a viral or bacterial infection; or an injury, such as a traumatic or nontraumatic injury, that results in a loss of vestibular hair cells. In some embodiments, balance disorders or Meniere's disease (idiopathic endolymphatic hydrops) may be treated by the methods described herein. Vestibular dysfunction is most commonly tested by measuring individual symptoms of the disorder (e.g., vertigo, nausea, and fuzzy vision).

Alternatively or in addition, the compounds and methods featured in the invention can be used prophylactically, such as to prevent, reduce or delay progression of hearing loss, deafness, or other auditory disorders associated with loss of hair cells. For example, a composition containing one or more compounds can be administered with (e.g., before, after or concurrently with) an ototoxic therapy, i.e., a therapeutic that has a risk of hair cell toxicity and thus a risk of causing a hearing disorder. Ototoxic drugs include the antibiotics neomycin, kanamycin, amikacin, viomycin, gentamycin, tobramycin, erythromycin, vancomycin, and streptomycin; chemotherapeutics such as cisplatin; nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as choline magnesium trisalicylate, diclofenac, diflunisal, fenoprofen, flurbiprofen, ibuprofen, indomethacin, ketoprofen, meclofenamate, nabumetone, naproxen, oxaprozin, phenylbutazone, piroxicam, salsalate, sulindac, and tolmetin; diuretics; salicylates such as aspirin; and certain malaria treatments such as quinine and chloroquine. For example, a subject undergoing chemotherapy can be treated using the compounds and methods described herein. The chemotherapeutic agent cisplatin, for example, is known to cause hearing loss. Therefore, a composition containing one or more compounds can be administered with cisplatin therapy (e.g., before, after or concurrently with) to prevent or lessen the severity of the cisplatin side effect. Such a composition can be administered before, after and/or simultaneously with the second therapeutic agent. The two agents may be administered by different routes of administration.

In general, the compounds and methods described herein can be used to generate hair cell growth in the ear and/or to increase the number of hair cells in the ear (e.g., in the inner, middle, and/or outer ear). For example, the number of hair cells in the ear can be increased about 2-, 3-, 4-, 6-, 8-, or 10-fold, or more, as compared to the number of hair cells before treatment. This new hair cell growth can effectively restore or establish at least a partial improvement in the subject's ability to hear. For example, administration of an agent can improve hearing loss by about 5, 10, 15, 20, 40, 60, 80, 100% or more.

In some instances, compositions can be administered to a subject, e.g., a subject identified as being in need of treatment, using a systemic route of administration. Systemic routes of administration can include, but are not limited to, parenteral routes of administration, e.g., intravenous injection, intramuscular injection, and intraperitoneal injection; enteral routes of administration e.g., administration by the oral route, lozenges, compressed tablets, pills, tablets, capsules, drops (e.g., ear drops), syrups, suspensions and emulsions; transdermal routes of administration; and inhalation (e.g., nasal sprays).

In some instances, compositions can be administered to a subject, e.g., a subject identified as being in need of treatment, using a systemic or local route of administration. Such local routes of administration include administering one or more compounds into the ear of a subject and/or the inner ear of a subject, for example, by injection and/or using a pump.

In some instances, compositions can be can be injected into the ear (e.g., auricular administration), such as into the luminae of the cochlea (e.g., the Scala media, Sc vestibulae, and Sc tympani). For example, compositions can be administered by intratympanic injection (e.g., into the middle ear), intralabyrinthine delivery (e.g., to the stapes foot plate), and/or injections into the outer, middle, and/or inner ear. Such methods are routinely used in the art, for example, for the administration of steroids and antibiotics into human ears. Injection can be, for example, through the round window of the ear or through the cochlea capsule. In another exemplary mode of administration, compositions can be administered in situ, via a catheter or pump. A catheter or pump can, for example, direct a pharmaceutical composition into the cochlea luminae or the round window of the ear. Exemplary drug delivery apparatus and methods suitable for administering one or more compounds into an ear, e.g., a human ear, are described by McKenna et al., (U.S. Publication No. 2006/0030837) and Jacobsen et al., (U.S. Pat. No. 7,206,639). In some embodiments, a catheter or pump can be positioned, e.g., in the ear (e.g., the outer, middle, and/or inner ear) of a subject during a surgical procedure. In some embodiments, a catheter or pump can be positioned, e.g., in the ear (e.g., the outer, middle, and/or inner ear) of a subject without the need for a surgical procedure.

In some instances, compositions can be administered in combination with a mechanical device such as a cochlea implant or a hearing aid, which is worn in the outer ear. An exemplary cochlea implant that is suitable for use with the present invention is described by Edge et al., (U.S. Publication No. 2007/0093878).

In some instances, compositions can be administered according to any of the Food and Drug Administration approved methods, for example, as described in CDER Data Standards Manual, version number 004 (which is available at fda.give/cder/dsm/DRG/drg00301.htm).

In some instances, the present disclosure includes treating a subject by administering to the subject cells produced using the compositions and methods disclosed herein. In general, such methods can be used to promote complete or partial differentiation of a cell to or towards a mature cell type of the inner ear (e.g., a hair cell) in vitro. Cells resulting from such methods can then be transplanted or implanted into a subject in need of such treatment. Cell culture methods required to practice these methods, including methods for identifying and selecting suitable cell types, methods for promoting complete or partial differentiation of selected cells, methods for identifying complete or partially differentiated cell types, and methods for implanting complete or partially differentiated cells are described herein. Target cells suitable for use in these methods are described above.

In some instances, methods can include administering one or more compositions disclosed herein and cells produced using the compositions and methods disclosed herein to a subject.

Administration of cells to a subject, whether alone or in combination with compounds or compositions disclosed herein, can include administration of undifferentiated, partially differentiated, and fully differentiated cells, including mixtures of undifferentiated, partially differentiated, and fully differentiated cells. As disclosed herein, less than fully differentiated cells can continue to differentiate into fully differentiated cells following administration to the subject.

Where appropriate, following treatment, the subject can be tested for an improvement in hearing or in other symptoms related to inner ear disorders. Methods for measuring hearing are well-known and include pure tone audiometry, air conduction, and bone conduction tests. These exams measure the limits of loudness (intensity) and pitch (frequency) that a subject can hear. Hearing tests in humans include behavioral observation audiometry (for infants to seven months), visual reinforcement orientation audiometry (for children 7 months to 3 years); play audiometry for children older than 3 years; and standard audiometric tests for older children and adults, e.g., whispered speech, pure tone audiometry; tuning fork tests; brain stem auditory evoked response (BAER) testing or auditory brain stem evoked potential (ABEP) testing. Oto-acoustic emission testing can be used to test the functioning of the cochlear hair cells, and electro-cochleography provides information about the functioning of the cochlea and the first part of the nerve pathway to the brain. In some embodiments, treatment can be continued with or without modification or can be stopped.

Modulation of Post-Translational Degradation of Atoh1 Protein

The present disclosure provides that the levels of Atoh1 can be modulated to promote hair cell differentiation. Accordingly, the present disclosure provides compositions and methods for modulating Atoh1 protein levels in a target cell to promote differentiation of the target cell towards or to a hair cell. Modification of Atoh1 protein levels can be achieved, e.g., by increasing the half-life of Atoh1 protein.

Thus, the methods described herein include the administration of compounds that decrease degradation of Atoh1. Such compounds include proteasome inhibitors.

Based on chemical structure and active moiety, proteasome inhibitors can be classified into a number of groups: boronates (e.g., Bortezomib, MLN9708 (Ixazomib citrate), MLN2238, and CEP-18770 (Piva et al., Blood. 2008 Mar. 1; 111(5):2765-75), Delanzomib), epoxyketones (Carfilzomib, ONX 0912 (Oprozomib), and epoxomicin), aldehydes (e.g., MG-132, PSI (Figueiredo-Pereira et al., J. Neurochem. 63, 1578-1581 (1994)), and fellutamide), alpha-ketoaldehydes, beta-lactones (e.g., lactacystin, omuralide, PS-519, belactosin A, and Marizomib (NPI-0052)), vinyl sulfones (e.g., NIP-L₃VS and MV151), syrbactins (SylA and GlbA), and bacterial (e.g., HT1171 and GL5i. A number of other proteasome inhibitors are known in the art, including disulfiram, PR-924 (Kuhn et al., Blood. 2009; 113:4667-4676) and ISPI-101 (Hurchla et al., Leukemia. 2013; 27:430-440). See, e.g., Crawford et al., J Cell Commun Signal. 2011; 5(2): 101-110; Gupta et al., “Novel Proteasome Inhibitors for Multiple Myeloma,” Contemporary oncology, summer 2013, available online at onclive.com/publications/contemporary-oncology/2013/Summer-2013/Novel-Proteasome-Inhibitors-for-Multiple-Myeloma; Moreau et al., Blood August 2012, 120 (5) 947-959; Kisselev et al., Chemistry & Biology 19:99-115 (2012); and Metcalf et al., Proteasome inhibitor patents (2010—present), informa healthcare doi:10.1517/13543776.2014.877444.

Gene Therapy Using Nucleic Acids Encoding Long-Lived Atoh1 Proteins

Nucleic acids encoding a long-lived Atoh1 variant polypeptide as described herein comprising mutations at amino acids 328, 331, and/or 334, i.e., mutations at amino acids 328, 331, and/or 334 to any amino acid other than serine, e.g., alanine, asparagine, glutamine, threonine, tyrosine, or cysteine, preferably alanine or glycine, can be incorporated into a gene construct to be used as a part of a gene therapy protocol to treat subjects suffering from sensorineural hearing loss or vestibular dysfunction as a result of loss of auditory hair cells.

The present invention includes vectors, e.g., targeted expression vectors, for in vivo transfection and expression of a polynucleotide that encodes a long-lived Atoh1 variant as described herein, preferably in particular cell types, especially supporting cells. For example, promoters that are primarily or only active in auditory or supporting cells can be used, e.g., a Lgr5, GFAP, Sox2, p27Kip, FGFR3, Prox1, or Sox2 promoter. Expression constructs of such components can be administered in any effective carrier, e.g., any formulation or composition capable of effectively delivering the component gene to cells in vivo. Approaches include insertion of the gene in viral vectors, including recombinant retroviruses, adenovirus, adeno-associated virus, lentivirus, and herpes simplex virus-1, or recombinant bacterial or eukaryotic plasmids. Viral vectors transfect cells directly; plasmid DNA can be delivered naked or with the help of, for example, cationic liposomes (lipofectamine) or derivatized (e.g., antibody conjugated), polylysine conjugates, gramacidin S, artificial viral envelopes or other such intracellular carriers, as well as direct injection of the gene construct or CaPO₄ precipitation carried out in vivo.

A preferred approach for in vivo introduction of nucleic acid into a cell is by use of a viral vector containing nucleic acid, e.g., a cDNA. Infection of cells with a viral vector has the advantage that a large proportion of the targeted cells can receive the nucleic acid. Additionally, molecules encoded within the viral vector, e.g., by a cDNA contained in the viral vector, are expressed efficiently in cells that have taken up viral vector nucleic acid.

Retrovirus vectors and adeno-associated virus vectors can be used as a recombinant gene delivery system for the transfer of exogenous genes in vivo, particularly into humans. These vectors provide efficient delivery of genes into cells, and the transferred nucleic acids are stably integrated into the chromosomal DNA of the host. The development of specialized cell lines (termed “packaging cells”) which produce only replication-defective retroviruses has increased the utility of retroviruses for gene therapy, and defective retroviruses are characterized for use in gene transfer for gene therapy purposes (for a review see Miller, Blood 76:271 (1990)). A replication defective retrovirus can be packaged into virions, which can be used to infect a target cell through the use of a helper virus by standard techniques. Protocols for producing recombinant retroviruses and for infecting cells in vitro or in vivo with such viruses can be found in Ausubel, et al., eds., Current Protocols in Molecular Biology, Greene Publishing Associates, (1989), Sections 9.10-9.14, and other standard laboratory manuals. Examples of suitable retroviruses include pLJ, pZIP, pWE and pEM which are known to those skilled in the art. Examples of suitable packaging virus lines for preparing both ecotropic and amphotropic retroviral systems include ΨCrip, ΨCre, Ψ2 and ΨAm. Retroviruses have been used to introduce a variety of genes into many different cell types, including epithelial cells, in vitro and/or in vivo (see for example Eglitis, et al. (1985) Science 230:1395-1398; Danos and Mulligan (1988) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 85:6460-6464; Wilson et al. (1988) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 85:3014-3018; Armentano et al. (1990) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 87:6141-6145; Huber et al. (1991) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 88:8039-8043; Ferry et al. (1991) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 88:8377-8381; Chowdhury et al. (1991) Science 254:1802-1805; van Beusechem et al. (1992) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 89:7640-7644; Kay et al. (1992) Human Gene Therapy 3:641-647; Dai et al. (1992) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 89:10892-10895; Hwu et al. (1993) J. Immunol. 150:4104-4115; U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,868,116; 4,980,286; PCT Application WO 89/07136; PCT Application WO 89/02468; PCT Application WO 89/05345; and PCT Application WO 92/07573).

Another viral gene delivery system useful in the present methods utilizes adenovirus-derived vectors. The genome of an adenovirus can be manipulated such that it encodes and expresses a gene product of interest but is inactivated in terms of its ability to replicate in a normal lytic viral life cycle. See, for example, Berkner et al., BioTechniques 6:616 (1988); Rosenfeld et al., Science 252:431-434 (1991); and Rosenfeld et al., Cell 68:143-155 (1992); and Crystal, Human Gene Therapy 25:3-11 (2014). Suitable adenoviral vectors derived from the adenovirus strain Ad type 5 (e.g., d1324) or other strains of adenovirus (e.g., Ad2, Ad3, or Ad7 etc.), with E1 (and optionally one or both of E3 and E4) deleted, are known to those skilled in the art. Recombinant adenoviruses can be advantageous in certain circumstances, in that they are not capable of infecting non-dividing cells and can be used to infect a wide variety of cell types, including epithelial cells (Rosenfeld et al., (1992) supra). Furthermore, the virus particle is relatively stable and amenable to purification and concentration, and as above, can be modified so as to affect the spectrum of infectivity. Additionally, introduced adenoviral DNA (and foreign DNA contained therein) is not integrated into the genome of a host cell but remains episomal, thereby avoiding potential problems that can occur as a result of insertional mutagenesis in situ, where introduced DNA becomes integrated into the host genome (e.g., retroviral DNA). Moreover, the carrying capacity of the adenoviral genome for foreign DNA is large (up to 8 kilobases) relative to other gene delivery vectors (Berkner et al., supra; Haj-Ahmand and Graham, J. Virol. 57:267 (1986). In some embodiments, the viral vector is an AAV5, e.g., an E1, E3, E4-deleted Adenovirus serotype 5 (Ad5) vector, or Ad28 adenovector. Exemplary viral vectors comprising wild type Atoh1 are described in Parker et al., Human Gene Therapy Methods 25(1): 1-13 (2014); Atkinson et al. PLoS ONE 9(7): e102077 (2014); Izumikawa et al. Nature Medicine, 11(3): 271-276 (2005); Schlecker et al. Gene Therapy, 2011, 18: 884-890, and in US20040237127 and US20140005257; the entire contents of 20040237127 and US20140005257 are specifically incorporated herein. See also Devarajan et al., J. Funct. Biomater. 2:249-270 (2011) for a review of gene delivery and stem cell based therapies for regenerating inner ear hair cells.

Yet another viral vector system useful for delivery of nucleic acids is the adeno-associated virus (AAV). Adeno-associated virus is a naturally occurring defective virus that requires another virus, such as an adenovirus or a herpes virus, as a helper virus for efficient replication and a productive life cycle. (For a review see Muzyczka et al., Curr. Topics in Micro. and Immunol. 158:97-129 (1992). It is also one of the few viruses that may integrate its DNA into non-dividing cells, and exhibits a high frequency of stable integration (see for example Flotte et al., Am. J. Respir. Cell. Mol. Biol. 7:349-356 (1992); Samulski et al., J. Virol. 63:3822-3828 (1989); and McLaughlin et al., J. Virol. 62:1963-1973 (1989). Vectors containing as little as 300 base pairs of AAV can be packaged and can integrate. Space for exogenous DNA is limited to about 4.5 kb. An AAV vector such as that described in Tratschin et al., Mol. Cell. Biol. 5:3251-3260 (1985) can be used to introduce DNA into cells. A variety of nucleic acids have been introduced into different cell types using AAV vectors (see for example Hermonat et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 81:6466-6470 (1984); Tratschin et al., Mol. Cell. Biol. 4:2072-2081 (1985); Wondisford et al., Mol. Endocrinol. 2:32-39 (1988); Tratschin et al., J. Virol. 51:611-619 (1984); and Flotte et al., J. Biol. Chem. 268:3781-3790 (1993).

In addition to viral transfer methods, such as those illustrated above, non-viral methods can also be employed to cause expression of a nucleic acid compound described herein (e.g., a long-lived Atoh1 variant as described herein) in the tissue of a subject. Typically non-viral methods of gene transfer rely on the normal mechanisms used by mammalian cells for the uptake and intracellular transport of macromolecules. In some embodiments, non-viral gene delivery systems can rely on endocytic pathways for the uptake of the subject gene by the targeted cell. Exemplary gene delivery systems of this type include liposomal derived systems, poly-lysine conjugates, and artificial viral envelopes. Other embodiments include plasmid injection systems such as are described in Meuli et al., J. Invest. Dermatol. 116(1):131-135 (2001); Cohen et al., Gene Ther. 7(22):1896-905 (2000); or Tam et al., Gene Ther. 7(21):1867-74 (2000).

In some embodiments, a gene encoding a compound described herein, e.g., a long-lived Atoh1 variant as described herein, is entrapped in liposomes bearing positive charges on their surface (e.g., lipofectins), which can be tagged with antibodies against cell surface antigens of the target tissue (Mizuno et al., No Shinkei Geka 20:547-551 (1992); PCT publication WO91/06309; Japanese patent application 1047381; and European patent publication EP-A-43075).

In clinical settings, the gene delivery systems for the therapeutic gene can be introduced into a subject by any of a number of methods, each of which is familiar in the art. For instance, a pharmaceutical preparation of the gene delivery system can be introduced systemically, e.g., by intravenous injection, and specific transduction of the protein in the target cells will occur predominantly from specificity of transfection, provided by the gene delivery vehicle, cell-type or tissue-type expression due to the transcriptional regulatory sequences controlling expression of the receptor gene, or a combination thereof.

In some embodiments, initial delivery of the recombinant gene is more limited, with introduction into the subject being quite localized, i.e., into the inner ear or cochlea of the subject. For example, the gene delivery vehicle can be introduced by injection through the round window membrane, e.g., by intra-tympanic injection of a liquid or gel formulation or by direct delivery into the inner ear fluids, e.g., using a microfluidic device. Injection can be, for example, through the round window of the ear or through the cochlea capsule, into the liquid of the inner ear, or into the scala media. Alternatively, in some embodiments, the compound can be administered onto the round window membrane, which can be reached from the middle ear: the injection can be through the ear drum into the middle ear to allow passage of the formulation through the round window membrane. In another exemplary mode of administration, compositions can be administered in situ, via a catheter or pump, e.g., an infusion pump. A catheter or pump can, for example, direct a pharmaceutical composition into the cochlea luminae or the round window of the ear. Exemplary drug delivery apparatus and methods suitable for administering one or more compounds into an ear, e.g., a human ear, are described by McKenna et al., (U.S. Publication No. 2006/0030837) and Jacobsen et al., (U.S. Pat. No. 7,206,639). In some embodiments, a catheter or pump can be positioned, e.g., in the ear (e.g., the outer, middle, and/or inner ear) of a subject during a surgical procedure. In some embodiments, a catheter or pump can be positioned, e.g., in the ear (e.g., the outer, middle, and/or inner ear) of a subject without the need for a surgical procedure. In some embodiments, the compositions are delivered via a pump, e.g., a mini-osmotic pump, see, e.g., Takemura et al., Hear Res. 2004 October; 196(1-2):58-68, or a catheter, see, e.g., Charabi et al., Acta Otolaryngol Suppl. 2000; 543:108-10.

In some instances, compositions can be administered in combination with a mechanical device such as a cochlea implant or a hearing aid, which is worn in the outer ear. An exemplary cochlea implant that is suitable for use with the present invention is described by Edge et al., (U.S. Publication No. 2007/0093878).

In some instances, compositions can be administered according to any of the Food and Drug Administration approved methods, for example, as described in CDER Data Standards Manual, version number 004 (which is available at fda.give/cder/dsm/DRG/drg00301.htm).

The pharmaceutical preparation of the gene therapy construct can consist essentially of the gene delivery system in an acceptable diluent, or can comprise a slow release matrix in which the gene delivery vehicle is embedded. Alternatively, where the complete gene delivery system can be produced intact from recombinant cells, e.g., retroviral vectors, the pharmaceutical preparation can comprise one or more cells, which produce the gene delivery system.

Targeting Huwe1 Using Inhibitory Nucleic Acids

As shown herein, reducing Huwe1 expression extends the half-life of Atoh1. Thus, the methods described herein can include reducing Huwe1 expression using inhibitory nucleic acids that target the Huwe1 gene or mRNA; the sequence of the human Huwe1 mRNA is in GenBank at Acc. No. NM_031407.6; the genomic sequence is at NP_113584.3. Inhibitory nucleic acids useful in the present methods and compositions include antisense oligonucleotides, ribozymes, external guide sequence (EGS) oligonucleotides, siRNA compounds, single- or double-stranded RNA interference (RNAi) compounds such as siRNA compounds, modified bases/locked nucleic acids (LNAs), antagomirs, peptide nucleic acids (PNAs), and other oligomeric compounds or oligonucleotide mimetics which hybridize to at least a portion of the target Huwe1 nucleic acid and modulate its function. In some embodiments, the inhibitory nucleic acids include antisense oligonucleotides, e.g., antisense RNA, antisense DNA, chimeric antisense oligonucleotides, or antisense oligonucleotides comprising modified linkages or nucleotide; interfering RNA (RNAi), e.g., small interfering RNA (siRNA), or a short hairpin RNA (shRNA); or combinations thereof. The inhibitory nucleic acids can be modified, e.g., to include a modified nucleotide (e.g., locked nucleic acid) or backbone (e.g., backbones that do not include a phosphorus atom therein), or can by mixmers or gapmers; see, e.g., WO2013/006619, which is incorporated herein by reference for its teachings related to modifications of oligonucleotides. siRNAs directed against Huwe1 are commercially available, e.g., from Origene and Santa Cruz Biotechnology, Inc.

Pharmaceutical Formulations

The methods described herein include the manufacture and use of pharmaceutical compositions that include proteasome inhibitors, inhibitory nucleic acids targeting Huwe1, or long-lived Atoh1 proteins or nucleic acids as active ingredients. Also included are the pharmaceutical compositions themselves.

Pharmaceutical compositions typically include a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier. As used herein the language “pharmaceutically acceptable carrier” includes saline, solvents, dispersion media, coatings, antibacterial and antifungal agents, isotonic and absorption delaying agents, and the like, compatible with pharmaceutical administration. Supplementary active compounds can also be incorporated into the compositions, e.g., dexamethasone; prednisone; gentamicin; brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF); recombinant human insulin-like growth factor 1 (rhIGF-1), FGF, R-spondin. Alternatively or in addition, the one or more supplementary active compounds can include histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors and/or DNMT inhibitors and/or Ezh2 Histone Methyl Transferase (HMT) inhibitors, e.g., as described in U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/985,170, filed on Apr. 28, 2014, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

The present pharmaceutical compositions are formulated to be compatible with the intended route of administration.

In some embodiments, the compositions are delivered systemically, e.g., by parenteral, e.g., intravenous, intradermal, or subcutaneous administration.

In some embodiments, the compositions are administered by application to the round window membrane, e.g., application of a liquid or gel formulation to the round window membrane. Application to the round window membrane can be accomplished using methods known in the art, e.g., intra-tympanic injection of a liquid or gel formulation or by direct delivery into the inner ear fluids, e.g., using a microfluidic device.

In some embodiments, the compositions are delivered via a pump, e.g., a mini-osmotic pump, see, e.g., Takemura et al., Hear Res. 2004 October; 196(1-2):58-68, or a catheter, see, e.g., Charabi et al., Acta Otolaryngol Suppl. 2000; 543:108-10.

Methods of formulating suitable pharmaceutical compositions are known in the art, see, e.g., Remington: The Science and Practice of Pharmacy, 21st ed., 2005; and the books in the series Drugs and the Pharmaceutical Sciences: a Series of Textbooks and Monographs (Dekker, N.Y.). For example, solutions or suspensions used for parenteral, intradermal, or subcutaneous application can include the following components: a sterile diluent such as water for injection, saline solution, fixed oils, polyethylene glycols, glycerine, propylene glycol or other synthetic solvents; antibacterial agents such as benzyl alcohol or methyl parabens; antioxidants such as ascorbic acid or sodium bisulfate; chelating agents such as ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid; buffers such as acetates, citrates or phosphates and agents for the adjustment of tonicity such as sodium chloride or dextrose. pH can be adjusted with acids or bases, such as hydrochloric acid or sodium hydroxide. The parenteral preparation can be enclosed in ampoules, disposable syringes or multiple dose vials made of glass or plastic.

Pharmaceutical compositions suitable for injectable use can include sterile aqueous solutions (where water soluble) or dispersions and sterile powders for the extemporaneous preparation of sterile injectable solutions or dispersion. For intravenous administration, suitable carriers include physiological saline, bacteriostatic water, Cremophor EL™ (BASF, Parsippany, N.J.) or phosphate buffered saline (PBS). In all cases, the composition must be sterile and should be fluid to the extent that easy syringability exists. It should be stable under the conditions of manufacture and storage and must be preserved against the contaminating action of microorganisms such as bacteria and fungi. The carrier can be a solvent or dispersion medium containing, for example, water, ethanol, polyol (for example, glycerol, propylene glycol, and liquid polyetheylene glycol, and the like), and suitable mixtures thereof. The proper fluidity can be maintained, for example, by the use of a coating such as lecithin, by the maintenance of the required particle size in the case of dispersion and by the use of surfactants. Prevention of the action of microorganisms can be achieved by various antibacterial and antifungal agents, for example, parabens, chlorobutanol, phenol, ascorbic acid, thimerosal, and the like. In many cases, it will be preferable to include isotonic agents, for example, sugars, polyalcohols such as mannitol, sorbitol, sodium chloride in the composition. Prolonged absorption of the injectable compositions can be brought about by including in the composition an agent that delays absorption, for example, aluminum monostearate and gelatin.

Sterile injectable solutions can be prepared by incorporating the active compound in the required amount in an appropriate solvent with one or a combination of ingredients enumerated above, as required, followed by filtered sterilization. Generally, dispersions are prepared by incorporating the active compound into a sterile vehicle, which contains a basic dispersion medium and the required other ingredients from those enumerated above. In the case of sterile powders for the preparation of sterile injectable solutions, the preferred methods of preparation are vacuum drying and freeze-drying, which yield a powder of the active ingredient plus any additional desired ingredient from a previously sterile-filtered solution thereof.

In some embodiments, the therapeutic compounds are prepared with carriers that will protect the therapeutic compounds against rapid elimination from the body, such as a controlled release formulation, including implants and microencapsulated delivery systems. Liposomal suspensions (including liposomes targeted to selected cells with monoclonal antibodies to cellular antigens) can also be used as pharmaceutically acceptable carriers. These can be prepared according to methods known to those skilled in the art, for example, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,522,811. Nanoparticles, e.g., poly lactic/glycolic acid (PLGA) nanoparticles (see Tamura et al., Laryngoscope. 2005 November; 115(11):2000-5; Ge et al., Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2007 October; 137(4):619-23; Horie et al., Laryngoscope. 2010 February; 120(2):377-83; Sakamoto et al., Acta Otolaryngol Suppl. 2010 November; (563):101-4) can also be used.

In some embodiments, the carrier comprises a polymer, e.g., a hydrogel, that increases retention of the compound on the round window and provides local and sustained release of the active ingredient. Such polymers and hydrogels are known in the art, see, e.g., Paulson et al., Laryngoscope. 2008 April; 118(4):706-11 (describing a chitosan-glycerophosphate (CGP)-hydrogel based drug delivery system); other carriers can include thermo-reversible triblock copolymer poloxamer 407 (see, e.g., Wang et al., Audiol Neurootol. 2009; 14(6):393-401. Epub 2009 Nov. 16, and Wang et al., Laryngoscope. 2011 February; 121(2):385-91); poloxamer-based hydrogels such as the one used in OTO-104 (see, e.g., GB2459910; Wang et al., Audiol Neurotol 2009; 14:393-401; and Piu et al., Otol Neurotol. 2011 January; 32(1):171-9); Pluronic F-127 (see, e.g., Escobar-Chavez et al., J Pharm Pharm Sci. 2006; 9(3):339-5); Pluronic F68, F88, or F108; polyoxyethylene-polyoxypropylene triblock copolymer (e.g., a polymer composed of polyoxypropylene and polyoxyethylene, of general formula E106 P70 E106; see GB2459910, US20110319377 and US20100273864); MPEG-PCL diblock copolymers (Hyun et al., Biomacromolecules. 2007 April; 8(4):1093-100. Epub 2007 February 28); hyaluronic acid hydrogels (Borden et al., Audiol Neurootol. 2011; 16(1):1-11); gelfoam cubes (see, e.g., Havenith et al., Hearing Research, February 2011; 272(1-2):168-177); and gelatin hydrogels (see, e.g., Inaoka et al., Acta Otolaryngol. 2009 April; 129(4):453-7); other biodegradable, biocompatible polymers can be used, such as ethylene vinyl acetate, polyanhydrides, polyglycolic acid, collagen, polyorthoesters, and polylactic acid. Tunable self-assembling hydrogels made from natural amino acids L and D can also be used, e.g., as described in Hauser et al e.g. Ac-LD6-COOH (L) e.g. Biotechnol Adv. 2012 May-June; 30(3):593-603. Such formulations can be prepared using standard techniques, or obtained commercially, e.g., from Alza Corporation and Nova Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

The pharmaceutical compositions can be included in a container, pack, or dispenser together with instructions for administration.

Dosage

An “effective amount” is an amount sufficient to effect beneficial or desired therapeutic effect. This amount can be the same or different from a prophylactically effective amount, which is an amount necessary to prevent onset of disease or disease symptoms. An effective amount can be administered in one or more administrations, applications or dosages. A therapeutically effective amount of a therapeutic compound (i.e., an effective dosage) depends on the therapeutic compounds selected. The compositions can be administered one from one or more times per day to one or more times per week; including once every other day. The skilled artisan will appreciate that certain factors may influence the dosage and timing required to effectively treat a subject, including but not limited to the severity of the disease or disorder, previous treatments, the general health and/or age of the subject, and other diseases present. Moreover, treatment of a subject with a therapeutically effective amount of the therapeutic compounds described herein can include a single treatment or a series of treatments. In some embodiments, e.g., in subjects exposed to prolonged or repeated exposures to noise, e.g., normal noises such as are associated with activities of daily life (such as lawnmowers, trucks, motorcycles, airplanes, music (e.g., from personal listening devices), sporting events, etc.), or loud noises, e.g., at concert venues, airports, and construction areas, that can cause inner ear damage and subsequent hearing loss; e.g., subjects who are subjected to high levels of environmental noise, e.g., in the home or workplace, can be treated with repeated, e.g., periodic, doses of the pharmaceutical compositions, e.g., to prevent (reduce the risk of) or delay progression or hearing loss.

Dosage, toxicity and therapeutic efficacy of the therapeutic compounds can be determined by standard pharmaceutical procedures, e.g., in cell cultures or experimental animals, e.g., for determining the LD50 (the dose lethal to 50% of the population) and the ED50 (the dose therapeutically effective in 50% of the population). The dose ratio between toxic and therapeutic effects is the therapeutic index and it can be expressed as the ratio LD50/ED50. Compounds that exhibit high therapeutic indices are preferred. While compounds that exhibit toxic side effects may be used, care should be taken to design a delivery system that targets such compounds to the site of affected tissue in order to minimize potential damage to uninfected cells and, thereby, reduce side effects.

The data obtained from cell culture assays and animal studies can be used in formulating a range of dosage for use in humans. For example, samples of the perilymph or endolymph can be obtained to evaluate pharmacokinetics and approximate an effective dosage, e.g., in animal models, e.g., after administration to the round window. The dosage of such compounds lies preferably within a range of concentrations that include the ED50 with little or no toxicity. The dosage may vary within this range depending upon the dosage form employed and the route of administration utilized. For any compound used in the method of the invention, the therapeutically effective dose can be estimated from cell culture assays, and/or a dose may be formulated in animal models; alternatively, for those compounds that have been previously used in humans, clinically desirable concentrations can be used as a starting point. Such information can be used to more accurately determine useful doses in humans. An exemplary dose for gene therapy using an adenoviral vector is between about 10¹⁰ and 5×10¹⁰, delivered in a volume between 10-100 μl, preferably between 20 and 40 μl.

Kits

The compositions and/or cells disclosed herein can be provided in a kit. For example, kits can include one or more active compounds as described herein, such as in a composition that includes the compound(s), and optionally informational material. The informational material can be descriptive, instructional, marketing or other material that relates to the methods described herein and/or to the use of the agent for the methods described herein. For example, the informational material relates to the use of the compound to treat a subject who has, or who is at risk for developing, an auditory hair cell loss hearing. The kits can also include paraphernalia for administering one or more compounds to a cell (in culture or in vivo) and/or for administering to a patient, and any combination of the methods described herein.

In one embodiment, the informational material can include instructions for administering the pharmaceutical composition and/or cell(s) in a suitable manner to treat a human, e.g., in a suitable dose, dosage form, or mode of administration (e.g., a dose, dosage form, or mode of administration described herein). In another embodiment, the informational material can include instructions to administer the pharmaceutical composition to a suitable subject, e.g., a human, e.g., a human having, or at risk for developing, auditory hair cell loss.

The informational material of the kits is not limited in its form. In many cases, the informational material (e.g., instructions) is provided in printed matter, such as in a printed text, drawing, and/or photograph, such as a label or printed sheet. However, the informational material can also be provided in other formats, such as Braille, computer readable material, video recording, or audio recording. Of course, the informational material can also be provided in any combination of formats.

In addition to the compound(s), the composition of the kit can include other ingredients, such as a solvent or buffer, a stabilizer, a preservative, a fragrance or other cosmetic ingredient, and/or a second agent for treating a condition or disorder described herein. Alternatively, the other ingredients can be included in the kit, but in different compositions or containers than the compound. In such embodiments, the kit can include instructions for admixing the agent and the other ingredients, or for using one or more compounds together with the other ingredients.

The kit can include one or more containers for the pharmaceutical composition. In some embodiments, the kit contains separate containers, dividers or compartments for the composition and informational material. For example, the composition can be contained in a bottle (e.g., a dropper bottle, such as for administering drops into the ear), vial, or syringe, and the informational material can be contained in a plastic sleeve or packet. In other embodiments, the separate elements of the kit are contained within a single, undivided container. For example, the composition is contained in a bottle, vial or syringe that has attached thereto the informational material in the form of a label. In some embodiments, the kit includes a plurality (e.g., a pack) of individual containers, each containing one or more unit dosage forms (e.g., a dosage form described herein) of the pharmaceutical composition. For example, the kit can include a plurality of syringes, ampoules, foil packets, or blister packs, each containing a single unit dose of the pharmaceutical composition. The containers of the kits can be air tight and/or waterproof, and the containers can be labeled for a particular use. For example, a container can be labeled for use to treat a hearing disorder.

As noted above, the kits optionally include a device suitable for administration of the composition (e.g., a syringe, pipette, forceps, dropper (e.g., ear dropper), swab (e.g., a cotton swab or wooden swab), or any such delivery device).

EXAMPLES

The invention is further described in the following examples, which do not limit the scope of the invention described in the claims.

Methods

The following materials and methods were used in the Examples below.

Cell Culture

HEK cells, FLAG-HA-Atoh1 293T cells and HeLa cells were grown in DMEM supplemented with 10% heat-inactivated fetal bovine serum, 2 mM Glutamax and penicillin (100 U/ml)/streptomycin (100 μg/ml) (all from Invitrogen). All cultures were maintained in a 5% CO2/20% humidified incubator (Forma Scientific).

Generation of Atoh1 Plasmids and Stably Expressing Cell Line

To generate FLAG Atoh1 plasmids, a construct consisting of Atoh1 cDNA modified to include two consecutive FLAG-tag sequences (GATTACAAGGATGACGA) preceding the start codon, was subcloned into pcDNA3.1(+) (Parker et al., 2014).

Atoh1 mutants, including deletions (Δ10-93 for deletion 1, 494-105 for deletion 2, Δ214-305 for deletion 3 and Δ306-347 deletion 4) and mutations at the C-terminus (serine 309, 325, 328, 331 or 334 to alanine) were generated using the QuickChange Site-directed Mutagenesis Kit (Stratagene). All mutants were sequenced in their entirety.

To generate FLAG-HA-Atoh1 plasmids, sequence-verified Atoh1 clones in pDONR223 were recombined into the Gateway destination vector pHAGE-N-Flag-HA (Invitrogen) using λ recombinase (Sowa et al., 2009). To generate lentivirus for the 293T cell line stably expressing Atoh1, 1 μg of pHAGE-N-FLAG-HA-Atoh1 cDNA was co-transfected with 4 helper plasmids (2 μg of VSVG, 1 μg each of Tat1b, Mgpm2, and CMV-Rev) using Lipofectamine 2000 (Invitrogen) in 10 cm dishes of 293T cells. Virus particles were harvested 48 hours post-transfection and used to infect 293T cells. Puromycin (Sigma, 1 μg/ml) was used for the selection of infected cells (Sowa et al., 2009). See FIG. 15.

Western Blotting

Proteins extracted with RIPA buffer from whole cells were separated on 4-12% NuPAGE Bis-Tris gels (Invitrogen) and electrotransferred to 0.2 μm nitrocellulose membranes (BioRad). The membranes were probed with mouse anti-FLAG (Sigma-Aldrich), mouse anti-HA (Sigma-Aldrich), mouse anti-ubiquitin (Santa Cruz), mouse anti-β-actin (Sigma-Aldrich), or mouse anti-HSC70 (1:10,000, Santa Cruz Biotechnology) antibodies, followed by HRP-conjugated, anti-rabbit or anti-mouse IgG, or anti-mouse light chain antibody (Jackson Immunoresearch Laboratories). The blots were processed with ECL or ECL-Plus Western Blot Substrates (Thermo). Band intensity was quantified by densitometry using Quantity One software (Bio-Rad). Each band was normalized to β-actin or HSC70 and expressed as a ratio to the control.

Cycloheximide Chase Assays for Stability

HEK cells were transfected with either FLAG Atoh1 (wild-type), or indicated mutant FLAG Atoh1 plasmids (1 μg/ml) using Lipofectamine 2000 (3 μl per 1 μg of cDNA, Invitrogen). Forty-eight hours after transfection, 100 μg/ml cycloheximide (Sigma) was added to block protein synthesis. Cells were harvested at 0, 30, 60, 120, and 240 minutes. Equal amounts of protein from each treatment were taken for Western blotting. Protein bands were quantified by densitometry. The half-lives of indicated proteins were calculated using GraphPad Prism 6 software and a one-phase exponential-decay model.

Co-Immunoprecipitation

To determine if the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway was involved in Atoh1 degradation, HEK cells were transfected with FLAG Atoh1 (1 μg/ml) using Lipofectamine 2000 (Invitrogen) for 48 hours and either DMSO or MG132 (10 μM) for 6 hours. Transfected cells were lysed in Pierce IP Lysis Buffer (Thermo) containing 1× complete protease inhibitors and 1× PhosSTOP phosphatase inhibitors (Roche). Lysates were immunoprecipitated with Anti-FLAG M2 Affinity Gel (Sigma-Aldrich) and immunoblotted by the procedures mentioned above.

To determine K48 polyubiquitylation, HEK cells were co-transfected with FLAG Atoh1 (1 μg/ml) and wild-type, K48 ubiquitin plasmids or empty vector (0.5 μg/ml, from Addgene) using Lipofectamine 2000 (Invitrogen). At 48 hours post-transfection, cells were lysed and immunoprecipitated with anti-FLAG M2 Affinity gel and immunoblotted.

Luciferase Assay

10⁵ HEK cells were seeded into a 96-well plate 1 day before transfection. 50 ng of firefly report construct with an Atoh1 E-box associated motif (AtEAM), 5 ng of Renilla-luciferase construct, and 50 ng of wild-type or mutated Atoh1 plasmids were mixed 0.3 ul of Lipofectamine 2000 and incubated with the cells for 48 hours, until cells were lysed. Luciferase activity were measure by the Dual Luciferase Reporter Assay System (Promega) in a Victor3 plate reader (Perkin Elmer).

Protein Purification

HEK293T cells with stable expression of Atoh1 from 15-cm tissue culture dishes at approximately 80% confluence were lysed in a total volume of 4 ml of lysis buffer (50 mM Tris pH 7.8, 150 mM sodium chloride, 0.5% NP40 plus EDTA-free protease inhibitor cocktail (Roche) and incubated at 4° C. for 45 minutes. Lysates were centrifuged at 13,000 rpm for 10 minutes at 4° C. and filtered through 0.45 μm spin filters (Millipore) to remove cell debris. Sixty μl of immobilized anti-HA resin (Sigma; 50% slurry) were used to immunoprecipitate the cleared lysates by gentle inversion overnight. Once the binding was complete, resin containing immuno-complex was washed with lysis buffer 4 times, followed by PBS 4 times. Atoh1 was eluted with HA peptide (250 μg/ml) in PBS for 30 minutes (3×50 μl) at room temperature. Ten percent of the eluate was electrophoresed on a NuPAGE Novex 4-12% Bis-Tris gel and silver stained to confirm immunoprecipitation of Atoh1 and the remaining eluate was subjected to trichloroacetic acid (TCA) precipitation for subsequent IP-MS/MS analysis.

In other experiments, specific bands stained for Commassie blue after elution were excised for peptide mass spectrometric sequencing at the core facility of Harvard Medical School.

Mass Spectrometry

For identification of Atoh1 interacting proteins, the TCA-precipitated protein pellet was re-suspended in 25 μg/μl of sequencing grade trypsin (25 μg/μl in 30 μl 100 mM ammonium bicarbonate pH 8.0 with 10% acetonitrile) and incubated at 37° C. for 4 hours. Digested samples were loaded onto stagetips and washed. Peptides were eluted with 50% formic acid/5% acetonitrile to neutralize the trypsin, followed by drying and re-suspension in 10 μl of 5% formic acid/5% acetonitrile. The resulting spectra were analyzed against a human database by SEQUEST, a tandem mass spectrometry data analysis program for peptide sequencing and protein identification (Eng et al. Journal of the American Society for Mass Spectrometry 5:976-989 (1994). The list of proteins was loaded into CompPASS for further processing and analysis (Sowa et al., 2009).

Co-Immunoprecipitation

FLAG-HA-Atoh1 293T were lysed with IP buffer and the lysates were immunoprecipitated with HA-resin (Sigma), IgG conjugated A/G agarose, or empty A/G agarose (Santa Cruz Biotechnology) and immunoblotted with antibodies against HA and Huwe1. For reciprocal immunoprecipitation, similar lysates were immunoprecipitated with A/G agarose conjugated with rabbit anti-Huwe1 antibody (Novus Biological) and immunoblotted with antibodies against HA or Huwe1.

To explore the role of Huwe1 on ubiquitylation of Atoh1, we generated Myc-Huwe1 with cysteine 4341 mutated to alanine (Myc-Huwe1-C4341) by recombining Huwe1 pENTR plasmids (Addgene) into pDEST-CMV-N-Myc using Gateway cloning. FLAG-HA-Atoh1 293T cells were transfected with wild-type Huwe1, Huwe1 shRNA (Sigma) or empty vector for 48 hours and treated with MG132 (10 μM) or vehicle for 6 hours. Cell lysates were immunoprecipitated with anti-FLAG-resin (Sigma) and immunoblotted with mouse anti-ubiquitin antibody (Santa Cruz Biotechnology) or reblotted with mouse anti-FLAG or rabbit anti-Huwe1 antibodies.

Wild-type or mutant Myc-Huwe1, wild-type or K48 HA-ubiquitin, and FLAG-Atoh1 plasmids were co-transfected into HeLa cells. After 48 hours, cell lysates were immunoprecipitated with anti-FLAG resin and immunoblotted with mouse anti-HA, mouse anti-FLAG and rabbit anti-Huwe1 antibodies. Input was blotted with mouse anti-Myc, mouse anti-FLAG, and mouse anti-β-actin antibodies as loading controls.

Neonatal Cochlear Explant Culture

Cochlear tissues were dissected from 1-day postnatal CD-1 mice (Charles River Laboratories). Spiral ganglion, Reissner's membrane, and the hook region of the organ of Corti were removed to obtain a flat cochlear surface preparation(Parker et al., 2010). Explants were plated onto 4-well plates (Greiner Bio-One) coated with Matrigel (BD Biosciences) diluted 1:10 in DMEM supplemented with 10% fetal bovine serum overnight.

Huwe1 Knockdown in the Organ of Corti

As described previously, postnatal day 1 mouse organs of Corti were cultured on Matrigel-coated coverslips overnight. The organs were incubated with Huwe1 or scrambled siRNA (IDT-DNA, 100 nM) for 72 hours.

Detection of Proliferation by Incorporation of 5-Ethynyl-2′-Deoxyuridine (EdU)

To evaluate cell proliferation, organs of Corti were incubated with 3 μM 5-ethynyl-2′-deoxyuridine (EdU) in combination with siRNA treatment and replenished after 36 hours. The tissue was fixed, blocked and permealized as described.

RNA Preparation for Quantitative RT-PCR

Total RNA was extracted with the RNeasy Mini Kit (Qiagen) according to the manufacturer's instructions. 1 μg RNA was reverse transcribed to cDNA using the Improm-II Reverse Transcription System (Promega). The reverse transcription conditions were 25° C. for 10 min followed by 37° C. for 60 min; the reaction was terminated at 95° C. for 5 min. The cDNA products were mixed with LightCycler Taqman Master Mix (Roche) and Taqman primers (Invitrogen) in a 96-well plate according to the manufacturer's instructions. The qPCR was run in triplicate on an ABI 7700 Real-Time PCR machine (Applied Biosystems, Inc.) with the initial denaturation at 95° C. for 2 min, denaturation at 95° C. for 15 s, and annealing/extension at 60° C. for 1 min for 45 cycles. Huwe1 gene expression was calculated relative to 18S RNA, and the amount of cDNA applied was adjusted to bring the Ct value for 18S RNA to within one half-cycle.

Detection of Proliferation by Incorporation of EdU

To evaluate cell proliferation, organ of Corti tissue was incubated with EdU in combination with siRNA treatment and replenished after 36 hours. The tissue was fixed, blocked and permeabilized as described. 70 μl of Alexa-Flour 488-conjugated azide cocktail (Invitrogen) was added to each well and incubated in a light-proof chamber at room temperature for 30 minutes. Tissues were washed with PBS before adding secondary antibodies.

Imaging and Cell Counting

Organs of Corti were analyzed using a Leica TCS SP5 confocal microscope. Inner and outer hair cells and supporting cells (in the outer hair cell region) were counted in cochlear whole mounts. High-power fluorescent images of the organ of Corti were merged in Adobe Illustrator CS6; total length and cell counts were determined with ImageJ software (NIH). Organs of Corti were divided into four regions (apex, mid-apex, mid-base, and base) and hair cell and supporting cells counts were obtained per 100 μm. Each counted segment was 1200-1400 μm.

Mouse Genotyping

The Sox2-Cre-ER mouse was described previously (Arnold et al., Cell Stem Cell 9, 317-329 (2011); Bramhall et al., Stem Cell Reports 2, 311-322 (2014)). The Sox2-flox mice were obtained from the Jackson Laboratory. The Huwe1-flox mouse was also previously described (Hao et al., J Exp Med 209, 173-186 (2012)). The Sox2-Cre-ER mouse was genotyped with Cre primers: forward, 5′-TGG GCG GCA TGG TGC AAG TT-3′ and reverse, 5′-CGG TGC TAA CCA GCG TTT TC-3′). The Huwe1-flox mouse was genotyped with the following primers: forward, 5′ GTA TGG TCA TGA TTG AGT GCT TGG AAC T 3′ and reverse, 5′ TAT ACC TGA ACA CAT GGG CAT ATA CAT 3′. The Sox2-flox mice were genotyped by PCR according to Jackson Laboratory recommendations.

Cochlear Function Tests

Distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs) and auditory brainstem responses (ABRs) were recorded as described previously 52. The ABR stimuli were 5-ms tone pips with a 0.5 ms rise-fall time delivered at 30/s. Sound level was incremented in 5-dB steps, from 25 dB below threshold to 80 dB sound pressure level (SPL). DPOAEs were recorded for primary tones with a frequency ratio of 1.2 and with the level of the f2 primary 10 dB less than f1 level, incremented together in 5-dB steps. The 2f1−f2 DPOAE amplitude and surrounding noise floor were extracted. DPOAE threshold is defined as the f1 level required to produce a response amplitude of 0 dB SPL.

Statistical Analysis

The mean values and standard error of the mean were calculated and analyzed for significance by an unpaired two-tailed Student's t-test with indicated alpha (0.05, 0.01 or 0.001) with Prism 6 software.

Example 1: Atoh1 is a Short-Lived Protein

To determine the half-life of Atoh1, we used cycloheximide to prevent new protein synthesis and followed the time course of disappearance of previously synthesized Atoh1 by Western blotting during a chase period. We transfected 293T cells with FLAG-HA-Atoh1 and treated with cycloheximide at 48 hours after transfection.

Pre-existing Atoh1 was completely degraded by 2 hours after inhibition of new protein synthesis. The half-life, as measured by densitometry in three experiments was 35.31 minutes (95% confidence interval: 24.11+/−65.97 minutes; FIG. 1).

Example 2. Atoh1 is Degraded by the Ubiquitin-Proteasome Pathway

Since Atoh1 is a highly unstable protein with a turnover rate of less than 1 hour, we assessed the mechanism of degradation. When treated with MG132, a potent proteasome inhibitor, the level of Atoh1 was significantly increased (FIG. 2), suggesting that inhibition spared Atoh1 from proteasomal degradation. Proteasome inhibition extended the half-life of Atoh1 in a cycloheximide chase assay (FIG. 2), indicating that it interfered with Atoh1 degradation.

We then assessed polyubiquitylation of Atoh1 in the presence of a proteasome inhibitor which would prevent degradation of the ubiquitinated protein. We prepared HEK cells stably transfected with FLAG-HA-Atoh1 and treated with MG132 to inhibit proteasomal degradation. The cell lysates were immunoprecipitated with anti-FLAG antibody, and the pattern of ubiquitylation was assessed with an anti-ubiquitin antibody. Western blotting of immunoprecipitated FLAG-Atoh1 revealed high molecular weight forms of Atoh1, indicating polyubiquitylation (FIG. 2D). Increased density of these high molecular weight forms was seen in samples treated with proteasome inhibitor, MG132, indicating accumulation of polyubiquitylated Atoh1.

To determine if Atoh1 forms K48-linked polyubiquitin, the form of ubiquitin chain targeted for proteasomal degradation, we co-transfected HEK cells with FLAG-Atoh1 and ubiquitin plasmid with mutations in all lysines except K48, or without mutations. The formation of high molecular weight bands above the Atoh1 bands on immunoblots suggested that K48 ubiquitin chains were formed on Atoh1 in both cases (FIG. 3).

Example 3. Evolutionally Conserved Serines in the C-Terminus Account for Atoh1 Stability

We next generated a panel of two N-terminal (Δ10-93 for deletion 1 and 494-105 for deletion 2) and two C-terminal (Δ214-305 for deletion 3 and Δ306-347 deletion 4) deletions of Atoh1 plasmids (FIG. 4), retaining the bHLH domain in order to assess which regions might affect degradation. Atoh1-deletion 4 has the longest half-life in a cycloheximide chase assay, suggesting that motifs affecting the half-life of Atoh1 fall between amino acids 306 and 347 (FIG. 4B).

Cross-species sequence comparison by MegaAlign (DNAstar, Madison, Wis.) indicated that serines 309, 325, 328, 331 and 334 were conserved across species (FIG. 5A, right panel). Since conservation may relate to biological function, we generated mutated Atoh1 plasmids containing alanine in the place of each serine (S309A, S325A, S328A, S331A, and S334). Mutation at positions 328 and 331 modestly prolonged Atoh1 half-life, while mutation at position 334 had a dramatic effect (FIG. 5B). We conclude that Ser 334 in the C-terminus of Atoh1 contains a motif that specifies proteasomal Atoh1 for degradation.

Example 4. Generation of Atoh1 Plasmids and Stably Expressing Cell Line

To generate FLAG Atoh1 plasmids, construct consisting of the Atoh1 sequence modified by cloning to include two consecutive FLAG-tag sequences (GATTACAAGGATGACGA) preceding the start codon, was subcloned into pcDNA3.1(+) (Parker et al., Hum Gene Ther Methods 25, 1-13 (2014)).

Atoh1 mutants including deletions (Δ10-93 for deletion 1, 494-105 for deletion 2, Δ214-305 for deletion 3 and Δ306-347 deletion 4) and mutations at the C-terminus (serine 309, 325, 328, 331 or 334 to alanine) were generated using the QuickChange Site-directed Mutagenesis Kit (Stratagene). All mutants were sequenced in their entirety.

To generate FLAG-HA-Atoh1 plasmids, sequence-verified Atoh1 clones in pDONR223 were recombined into the Gateway destination vector pHAGE-N-Flag-HA using λ recombinase (Sowa et al., Cell 138, 389-403 (2009)). To generate lentivirus for the 293T cell line stably expressing Atoh1, 1 ug of pHAGE-N-FLAG-HA-Atoh1 cDNA was co-transfected with 4 helper plasmids (2 ug of VSVG, 1 ug of Tat1b, Mgpm2, and CMV-Rev) using Lipofectamine 2000 transfection agent (Invitrogen) in 10 cm dishes of 293T cells. Virus particles were harvested 48 hours post-transfection and used to infect 293T cells. Puromycin (Sigma, 1 ug/ml) was used for selection of infected cells (Sowa et al., Cell 138, 389-403 (2009)).

Example 5. Stability Assays—Cycloheximide Chase

HEK cells were transfected with either FLAG-Atoh1 (wild type), or indicated mutant FLAG-Atoh1 plasmids (1 ug/ml) using Lipofectamine 2000 (3 ul per 1 ug of cDNA, Invitrogen). Forty eight hours after transfection, 100 ug/ml cycloheximide (C4859, Sigma) was added to block protein synthesis. Cells were harvested at 0, 30, 60, 120, and 240 minutes. Equal amounts of proteins from each treatment were taken for Western blotting. Protein bands were quantified by densitometry using Quantity One Software (Bio-Rad), with β-actin for normalization. The half-lives of indicated proteins were calculated using GraphPad Prism 6 software and a one-phase exponential-decay model.

Example 6. Identifying Atoh1-Interacting Proteins by Mass Spectrometry

We performed immuoprecipitation followed by mass spectrometry (IP/MS), to identify binding partners of Atoh1 and searched the partners for E3 ubiquitin ligases that could be involved in the ubiquitin-proteasomal degradation (Sowa et al., Cell 138, 389-403 (2009)). We used a stably expressing 293T cell line prepared by lentiviral infection of pHAGE-FLAG-HA-Atoh1 Lysates of FLAG-HA-Atoh1 293T cells immunoprecipitated with HA antibody were subjected to LC-MS/MS analysis to identify proteins associated with Atoh1. We used ComPASS, an unbiased comparative approach for identifying high-confidence candidate interacting proteins, to interrogate datasets for parallel mass spectral studies (Sowa et al., Cell 138, 389-403 (2009)). The scoring metrics, DN and Z, were used to assign scores to each protein. Proteins with a DN score greater one and a Z score great than 3.5 were considered high confidence interacting partners (Table I).

E-proteins, E12 and E47 (TCF3 products), which are known interacting partners of Atoh1, were obtained in the high confidence candidates and validated the IP/MS approach. Another E-protein, TCF12, which has not been reported to bind Atoh1, was also found as Atoh1 binding partner.

Two de-ubiquitinating enzymes, USP11 and USP47, were observed associated with Atoh1. These enzymes cleave the bond between ubiquitin and substrate protein. E3 ubiquitin ligase, Huwe1, was also observed in the high confidence proteins and was the only ligase that passed the criteria for DN and Z scores among the Atoh1 interactors.

TABLE I Symbol GeneID D^(N)_Score Z_score ATOH1 ATOH1 474 8.37 5.74 E3 ligase HUWE1 10075 1.50 5.56 Ubiquitin-related USP11 8237 1.41 5.42 enzymes (deubiquitylases) USP47 55031 2.00 5.54 E-protein TCF3 6929 3.16 5.57 TCF12 6938 2.45 5.71 Cell Death and Survival AHSA1 10598 1.00 5.03 ATP2A1 487 1.41 5.71 MAPK3 5595 2.00 5.71 PRDX4 10549 1.23 4.60 PRPS1 5631 1.23 4.60 SRI 6717 1.41 5.71 Cell movement ENAH 55740 1.41 5.71 FLNC 2318 1.15 5.21 GFAP 2670 2.45 5.71 PDE4D 5144 1.41 5.71 SLC3A2 6520 1.41 5.71 TUBA1C 84790 1.39 2.88 TUBA4A 7277 3.00 3.77 TUBB2B 347733 2.58 4.36 ZYX 7791 1.58 5.48 OTHERS AAMP 14 1.00 5.03 ACOX1 51 1.41 5.71 BCKDHA 593 2.00 5.54 CCDC124 115098 1.00 5.03 CPOX 1371 2.00 5.54 CTPS2 56474 2.45 5.60 EIF2C1 26523 1.00 5.16 EIF2C2 27161 3.16 5.72 EIF2C3 192669 1.00 5.16 FHL3 2275 1.00 5.16 NEK9 91754 2.83 5.54 NT5DC2 64943 2.00 5.71 PDXK 8566 1.41 5.71 SEC23A 10484 1.23 5.24 SEC23B 10483 1.00 5.03 SERPINH1 871 1.00 3.92 TNRC6C 57690 2.00 5.71 YARS2 51067 1.41 5.71 Table I. Identifying Atoh1-interacting proteins by mass spectrometry. Lysates of FLAG-HA-Atoh1 293T cells were immunoprecipitated with HA antibody and subjected to proteomic analysis by LC-MS/MS. ComPASS, an unbiased comparative approach for identifying high-confidence candidate interacting proteins, was utilized to interrogate data sets and assign the DN and Z scoring metrics. Proteins with a DN score greater than 1 and a Z score greater than 3.5 fulfilled these criteria.

Example 7. Immunoprecipitation Confirms Binding of Huwe1 to Atoh1

We first asked whether Huwe1 formed a physical complex with Atoh1 in HEK cells through reciprocal co-immunoprecipitation analyses (FIG. 6). Mass spectrometric analysis of a Coomassie blue-stained band at 450 kDa from a lysate immunoprecipitatied with an Atoh1 antibody identified Huwe1 as an interacting protein (FIG. 6 and Table II). Mass spectrometry of the band at 45 kDa confirmed that the immunoprecipitated protein was FLAG-HA-Atoh1 (Table II).

Example 8. Is Huwe1 an E3 Ubiquitin Ligase for Atoh1 ?

To determine whether Huwe1 can act as an E3 ubiquitin ligase for Atoh1, we performed an in vivo ubiquitylation assay. Increased ubiquitylation of Atoh1 was observed after transfecting Huwe1 plasmids into FLAG-HA-Atoh1 293T cells, after co-immunoprecipitation, indicating a role of Huwe1 as an E3 ubiquitin ligase (FIG. 7A). Furthermore, decreased poly-ubiquitylation was observed after Huwe1 knockdown, suggesting that E3 ubiquitin ligase activity on Atoh1 was inhibited.

We also tested whether the ability of Huwe1 to transfer ubiquitin to Atoh1 was affected when a mutant form of Huwe1 that had serine in the place of a critical cysteine in the HECT domain (Huwe1 C4341S) (ref) was used (FIG. 8). The resulting decrease in both wild-type and K48 poly-ubiquitylated Atoh1 indicated that this active site residue was required for the ubiquitylation of Atoh1.

TABLE II-1 Mass spectrometric identification of Atoh1 binding proteins Average Gene Total Unique peptide Protein Symbol peptide peptide score coverage HUWE1 279 122 3.5367 28.78% PRKDC 161 112 3.3479 25.48% MAP1B 133 78 3.7349 37.68% DYNC1H1 87 75 3.2275 18.02% KIF11 79 46 3.3049 37.97% SRRM2 53 38 3.7266 20.75% MACF1 51 50 3.2235 8.57% MYCBP2 51 47 3.3464 13.64% MDN1 41 37 3.3880 8.79% HERC2 36 34 3.2990 9.08% RNF213 32 30 3.0488 6.38% UBR5 31 26 3.3120 12.54% UTRN 30 30 3.4022 10.81% MGA 29 27 3.6467 13.52% AKAP9 26 26 2.9820 8.08% PRRC2C 26 21 3.2923 8.08% CEP350 23 21 3.1575 11.08% SON 22 20 3.6486 9.66% PLEC 17 16 2.8815 3.86% MAP1A 15 14 3.2701 8.46% DMXL1 13 12 3.1873 5.48% TRRAP 12 12 3.1620 3.91% SACS 12 12 2.5812 2.88% GOLGB1 12 10 2.8166 3.28%

TABLE II-2 Mass spectrometric identification of Atoh1 Average Gene Total Unique peptide Protein Symbol peptide peptide score coverage TUBB2A 159 40 3.0903 55.51% ATOH1 155 19 2.1144 34.18% TUBA1A 112 34 3.1383 66.08% RPL4 106 36 2.4767 53.63% EEF1A1 103 28 2.6454 58.87% TUFM 72 38 3.2781 68.36% RPL3 67 29 2.5399 45.66% SSB 65 30 2.8608 5.43% RBMX 65 27 2.5009 47.06% ENO1 62 34 3.1674 58.29% PSMC5 52 31 3.5295 64.29% PSMC2 50 29 2.9925 63.74% YARS2 11 8 3.3677 29.77% TUBA1C 7 11 3.6062 15.14% SERPINH1 9 7 2.5123 20.81% ACOX1 5 4 2.8799 10.30% BCKDHA 5 3 2.6629 9.44% PRPS1 3 3 2.6642 18.46% TUBB2B 2 1 3.0318 2.70% TUBA4A 1 1 3.4258 31.31% PRDX4 1 1 3.1432 7.01% AAMP 1 1 2.3377 2.53% PDE4B 1 1 2.2331 2.04% Table II. Mass spectrometric analysis of suspected Huwe1 and Atoh1. Coomassie blue stained bands indicated in FIG. 6 were excised and subjected to mass spectrometric analysis. Table II-1 validates Huwe1 as a binding partner of Atoh1. Table II-2 identifies the immunoprecipitated protein as Atoh1.

Example 9. Huwe1 Knockdown Extends the Half-Life of Atoh1

To determine whether Huwe1 affected the stability of Atoh1, FLAG-HA-Atoh1 293T cells were transfected with Huwe1 plasmids or Huwe1 shRNA for gain- or loss-of-function experiments respectively. Huwe1 overexpression reduced Atoh1, while Huwe1 knockdown stabilized Atoh1 (FIG. 9).

The half-life of Atoh1 measured by a cycloheximide-chase assay also revealed that Huwe1 shRNA extended the half-life of Atoh1 in FLAG-HA-Atoh1 293T cells (FIGS. 9, C & D). These results support the hypothesis that Huwe1 degrades Atoh1 through the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway.

Example 10. Inhibition of Proteasomal Activity Stabilizes Cochlear Atoh1

To test whether proteasomal activity regulated Atoh1 in the cochlea we treated P1 organ of Corti explants with proteasome inhibitor, MG132 (10 uM). Atoh1 was increased by the treatment indicating that it was stabilized by the treatment (FIG. 10).

Example 11. Huwe1 Knockdown Increased Atoh1 in the Organ of Corti

Treatment of organ of Corti explants from P1 mice with 100 nM Huwe1 siRNA for 72 hours suppressed Huwe1 gene expression by 59.5% as measured by real-time qRT-PCR (FIG. 11) and decreased protein level by 55% by Western blot (FIG. 12). RNAi-mediated depletion of Huwe1 caused a marked accumulation of Atoh1 in the cochlea based on densitometry. Hair cell marker, myosin VIIa, was also upregulated by Huwe1 siRNA, indicating a potential increase in the number of hair cells after stabilization of Atoh1 by knockdown of Huwe1.

Example 12. Huwe1 Knockdown Increased Hair Cell Generation in the Organ of Corti

Since Huwe1 knockdown stabilized Atoh1, we assessed its effect on hair cell generation in the cochlea. Treatment of organ of Corti explants with 100 nM Huwe1 siRNA significantly increased the number of myosin VIIa-positive cells in the outer hair cell region (FIG. 13A) (45.06±2.10 vs 31.68±2.66 after treatment with scrambled siRNA, p<0.01). Huwe1 siRNA significantly increased hair cell formation in the apex (44.01±3.95 vs 31.48±3.85, p<0.05) and mid-apex (48.80±1.78 vs 31.43±2.33, p<0.001) when the organ of Corti was quantified in four regions of equal length. Slight increases in the mid-base (44.76±2.86 vs 40.81±3.08) and base (42.72±2.90 vs 38.26±4.13) were not significant (FIGS. 13B and 13C).

Example 13. New Hair Cells are not a Result of Proliferation

Supporting cells and hair cells were not labeled by 5-ethynyl-2′-deoxyuridine (EdU), a marker for cell division 72 hours after siRNA treatment of organ of Corti explants (FIG. 14), indicating that they were not the product of renewed cell division of either cell type. The increase in hair cells generated by siRNA-mediated suppression of Huwe1 was therefore a result of direct transdifferentiation of supporting cells.

Example 14. Huwe1 Knockdown in the Organ of Corti

As described previously, postnatal day 1 mouse organs of Corti were cultured on Matrigel-coated coverslips overnight. Huwe1 or scrambled siRNA (from IDT-DNA, 100 nM) were incubated for 72 hours.

Example 15. Detection of Proliferation by Incorporation of 5-Ethynyl-2′-Deoxyuridine (EdU)

To evaluate cell proliferation, organs of Corti were incubated with 3 uM 5-ethynyl-2′-deoxyuridine (EdU) in combination with siRNA treatment and replenished after 36 hours. The tissue was fixed, blocked and permealized as described.

Example 16. RNA Preparation for Quantitative RT-PCR

Total RNA was extracted with the RNeasy Mini Kit (Qiagen) according to the manufacturer's instructions. 1 ug RNA was reverse transcribed to cDNA using improm-II Reverse Transcription System (Promega). The reverse transcription conditions were 25° C. for 10 min followed by 37° C. for 60 min; the reaction was terminated at 95° C. for 5 min. The cDNA products were mixed with LightCycler Taqman Master Mix (Roche, 04535286001) and Taqman primers (Invitrogen) in 96-well plate according to the manufacturer's instructions. The qPCR was run in triplicate on an ABI 7700 Real-Time PCR machine (Applied Biosystem, Inc.) with initial denaturation at 95° C. for 2 min, denaturation at 95° C. for 15 s, and annealing/extension at 60° C. for 1 min for 45 cycles. Huwe1 gene expression was calculated relative to 18S RNA, and the amount of cDNA applied was adjusted to bring the Ct value for 18S RNA to within one half-cycle.

Example 17. Huwe1 is Required for Cochlear Function

To assess the role of Huwe1 in cochlear development, we induced the conditional deletion of Huwe1 using a Cre driven by Sox2 expression, which is specific for the prosensory progenitors in the developing cochlea and is subsequently expressed in the developing spiral ganglion and cochlear supporting cells. Disruption of Huwe1 at E15.5 stimulated generation of a single extra row of inner hair cells at E18.5 (FIG. 16a compared to FIG. 16b ). The extra hair cells were found in the inner pillar cell region, where extra hair cells are also produced upon stimulation of Wnt signaling in cochlear supporting cells (Shi et al., Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 110, 13851-13856 (2013)). We were unable to examine the phenotype in the mature animal after deletion of Huwe1 in Sox2-expressing cells, however, as the mice did not reach maturity. Mice with Huwe1 knocked out at P1 did survive to adulthood, allowing us to assess their phenotype. When analyzed at P30, there was an extra row of inner hair cells, similar to the E15-deleted animals. Further examination revealed that the extra hair cells were normally innervated (16.1 synapses per hair cell in the modular row, 15.3 in the pillar cell row vs 16.6 in control animals) thus effectively doubling the total number of afferent synapses in the cochlea (FIGS. 16C vs 16D). Auditory brainstem response (ABR) and distortion product otoacoustic emission (DPOAE) thresholds remained normal at P30 in ears with Huwe1 knockout at P1 (FIGS. 16E and F). Thus, the alterations in cochlear cells—development of extra inner hair cells that were fully innervated—had no obvious effects on function.

Example 18. Deletion of Sox2 has the Same Phenotype as Deletion of Huwe1

Deletion of Sox2 at E12 in earlier studies resulted in the abolition of hair cells, consistent with a role for Sox2 in the expression of Atoh1( ). We reasoned that its deletion at a later time point would prevent the Huwe1 induction and degradation of Atoh1. The phenotype obtained when Sox2 was deleted at E15.5 was, indeed, similar to the deletion of Huwe1; an extra row of inner hair cells could be seen in the knockout mice. An identical phenotype was seen after deletion at E17.5.

Example 19. Post-Translational Dampening of bHLH Transcription Factors by Sox2 Extends to Neurod1 and Neurog1

Since proneural bHLH transcription factors share homologies in sequence and regulation (see, e.g., Akagi et al., J Biol Chem 279, 28492-28498 (2004); Lo et al., Development 129, 1553-1567 (2002); Ross et al., Neuron 39, 13-25 (2003)), we asked whether other bHLH proneural transcription factors were regulated by Sox2 destabilization after initial upregulation, as we had observed for Atoh1. qPCR analysis showed that overexpression of Sox2 led to significant upregulation of all three tested bHLH transcription factors, Atoh1, Neurog1 and Neurod1, in HEK cells. Like Atoh1, Sox2 also downregulated Neurog1 and Neurod1 proteins post-translationally, and, again, proteasome inhibition rescued the level of each transcription factor after Sox2 overexpression.

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Other Embodiments

It is to be understood that while the invention has been described in conjunction with the detailed description thereof, the foregoing description is intended to illustrate and not limit the scope of the invention, which is defined by the scope of the appended claims. Other aspects, advantages, and modifications are within the scope of the following claims. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A long-lived human Atoh1 variant polypeptide comprising a mutation at the amino acid position corresponding to amino acid 328 of SEQ ID NO:
 1. 2. The long-lived human Atoh1 variant polypeptide of claim 1, which is at least 95% identical to SEQ ID NO:
 1. 3. The long-lived human Atoh1 variant polypeptide of claim 1, wherein the amino acid at the position corresponding to amino acid 328 of SEQ ID NO: 1 is not serine.
 4. The long-lived human Atoh1 variant polypeptide of claim 1, comprising SEQ ID NO: 1 with a mutation of S328A.
 5. The long-lived human Atoh1 variant polypeptide of claim 1, further comprising a mutation at the amino acid positions corresponding to amino acids 331, and/or 334 of SEQ ID NO:
 1. 6. The long-lived human Atoh1 variant polypeptide of claim 5, wherein one or both of the amino acids at the positions corresponding to amino acids 331 and/or 334 of SEQ ID NO: 1 is not serine.
 7. The long-lived human Atoh1 variant polypeptide of claim 1, comprising SEQ ID NO: 1 with mutations selected from the group consisting of S328A/S331A, S328A/S334A, and S328A/S331A/S334A.
 8. A long-lived human Atoh1 variant polypeptide comprising SEQ ID NO: 1 with a mutation of S334A.
 9. The long-lived human Atoh1 variant polypeptide of claim 8, further comprising a mutation at the amino acid position corresponding to amino acid 331 of SEQ ID NO:
 1. 10. The long-lived human Atoh1 variant polypeptide of claim 9, wherein the amino acid at the position corresponding to amino acid 331 of SEQ ID NO: 1 is not serine.
 11. The long-lived human Atoh1 variant polypeptide of claim 9, comprising SEQ ID NO: 1 with mutations of S331A/S334A. 